HomUnculuS
by Icefrosty
Summary: One night, a homunculus is created. One night, centuries later, a boy rescues it. But all is not well. Demonic alchemists lust for the jewel within Homunculus, and the law want their lives. What must they sacrifice, and who must they trust, to stay alive?
1. Prelude

'_Tis true my form is something odd,  
>But blaming me is blaming God;<br>Could I create myself anew  
>I would not fail in pleasing you.<em>

_If I could reach from pole to pole  
>Or grasp the ocean with a span,<br>I would be measured by the soul;  
>The mind's the standard of the man.<em>

—poem used by Joseph Merrick (aka: the Elephant Man) to end his letters, adapted from "_False Greatness_" by Isaac Watts.

0

Prelude

Blessed are those that bestow the miraculous wonder of life to the world, but damned are those that slander it by attempting to reverse the irreversible—the undiscovered realm that is death.

One such damned soul was none other than the legendary young alchemist...Ah, no, I cannot reveal too much. Such a thing may ruin any nasty surprises I have in store.

Moving onwards...

He brought life not to a once living body, but to an entirely different entity altogether. On the night the full moon glowed a red like a putrid bloody eyeball, another species of being took its first haggard breath in the confines of a darkened shack encompassed by black mountains and the heavens.

But only a few months later, both creature and creator vanished from the face of the earth, and neither has been seen since.

Now, dear reader, we must leave the past in its uncertain misty cosmos, and look to the future at hand. For, while the abhorred alchemist ceased to raise his shameful sinner's head from the dirt into which he had so seemingly buried himself into, his wretched creature was brought back into the eyes of the world that it at once prayed to be taken out of, but with no escape.

And so begins our merry tale, although I have to admit it's far from such. Oh, the joys of sarcasm.

Here and now you shall hear the story of the alchemist's creature, the being never meant to exist yet did so regardless, and the boy who gave such an empty living hell wholesome meaning that encapsulated and transformed everything the creature could have ever once dreamed of in those desolate nights alone from ghoulish nightmares to a very real, wonderful life.

But others would not lie down and allow the creature this happiness. People with plans, ambitions, objectives. They wanted something from the creature. Something precious—so much so that the very borders of life and death became marred and uncertain with its unprecedented powers.

Something the creature possessed.

Ah, I should probably stop calling him that. Yes, you heard me—'_him_'. The being Hohenheim created had a name. That name I shall not reveal as yet, but he certainly had an identity. A species title that for centuries he alone carried.

That wonderful, mystical being...

_Homunculus._


	2. Eon

Chapter 1: Eon

_._

_._

_Time is a dragging knife_

_Inching through my body,_

_Cutting my brain,_

_And the memories it holds._

_Shadow of memories,_

_Dear to my sanity,_

_Rotting the seconds away,_

_Slipping out of my eyes._

_I watch the eons ebb away__,_

_Not knowing why I scream _

_As they stand motionless_

_Around my dark prison._

_Rip my heart out..._

_Fruitless imagining death._

_Eons pass still..._

_._

_._

It remembered a smile. Warm and blissful, it illuminated the bleak black chasm of his mind, and stirred the other half-rotten memories that festered there. For a moment, it felt that sweet bubbling sensation of life reanimate its starved senses, and felt the cold glass into which it was encased.

Reality ripped the dream apart, and the beautiful smile blurred and faded from its enraptured sight, and so did the blessed light it brought. Now the hell sank its savage teeth into every fibre of its being, and the creature moaned in agony.

It was so cold here. The numbness, so ancient in its presence within the creature's body, was now part of himself. So numb, it felt like it was floating in a black space, not knowing where it was, who it was, and not feeling at all.

Frozen, it shut its eyes against the tears, and the blackness matched the blackness that was its world, and the creature screamed helplessly as the void tore at his brain.

Black, just black.

Cold, so cold here...

How long? In the abyss of lost memories, it wondered. How long had it existed thus; cold, unable to move, ensnared?

How much longer would it be before its heart would give up its pointless task and crumble away, releasing it from this endless torture?

Then it would seek a more peaceful being, and if not to exist at all, to do such without any sense of pain. That pain—that agony— now etched itself deep into the intricate fabric of its mind; embedded itself like some foul poison, and gnawed at it with savage pleasure.

Unbearable...

But...

A spark of hope glowed, minute and utterly vulnerable, in the black ocean of Time, and the creature's thoughts stirred, wondering.

_Could it release itself?_ End the pitch black eons of existing and not living, end all the screams, all the mocking grins of teeth in its face.

A powerful core pulsed within it, sending remorseless sparks of life coursing through its frail, beaten body.

To rip it out, force its core to abandon its purpose...was release.

Cold, formless hands crept their way to its belly, prepared to gouge into the flesh.

Filled with a warm, soothing calm, like rest at the end of a long, painful day, it pressed inward to break through...

The smile, that wonderful smile, suddenly presented itself in its memories, and the creature froze. To accomplish this task...was to also extinguish the memory which it so cherished, and the hope of a better, brighter world along with it.

Trembling, it felt the long-since dulled hope rise within its mismatched frame.

_It could not...It could not...  
><em>

Eyes flashed red and seething before its sight, and the creature all at once fell into a fit of terror, shaking and screaming uncontrollably.

Devil's teeth sneered, and suddenly everything began to surge upwards. Delirious, the creature tried to hang on, but it slipped away and was thrown violently in every direction, thoughts blinded by terror tearing it apart.

Suddenly, the world stilled, and the creature lay, battered and overcome with terrified panting, and waited.

After some moments of utter silence, it cracked open one bulging eye.

_Red.  
><em>

_Blazing evil red.  
><em>

The eye of its tormentor brought an inferno of hellfire, and the creature swooned, its brain..._collap...sing...  
><em>

'Naughty, naughty...' the sick, oily voice purred through the red, shaking the creature to its very core. 'Falling asleep when I have something to say? That won't do...'

A sudden charge of burning electricity blasted through its body, and the creature shrieked in pain.

'Ah,' the voice sneered. 'You're awake.'

The creature's eyes leaked with tears as its body jerked in painful spasms, body wrought with sparks.

It could hear every sickening syllable the voice pushed into its brain.

'We can't have you dying on us, now, can we?' The voice was slow and deliberate, dragging out its soul-killing words with relish. 'That would be bad for our little plans. You are useful to us—you, a pitiful ugly parasite.'

The voice paused to let these stinging words inflict their full agony on the creature's mind. It snickered as it saw the helpless thing screw its eyes shut and curl tightly into itself.

'Funny, isn't it? A weak little monster like you hangs all our ambitions in the balance? Amusing, to be sure, but nonetheless true...So, what should I do? We can't have this occurring again.'

Another agonising pause, and the inflamed atmosphere told the creature this was the climax of the voice's message, and it listened with dread.

'Shall I cut your arms off?' it whispered. 'All of them, one by one? I could make a symphony out of your lovely screams, you know. Yes I could, yes I could...'

The creature was too terrified to hear anymore, and lay there, shaking.

A deep rumbling voice interrupted from elsewhere.

'Let it alone, we need the creature's core undisturbed. We will tie it up instead.'

The first speaker clicked its tongue angrily.

'Hmph. Fine.'

Turning its attention to the swooning creature, it hissed:

'You remain intact today, _homunculus_. For how much longer, is the question now.'

The devil's eye retreated backwards as the black tormentor stood up, revealing its hellish grinning teeth.

In a second, both were gone, and the darkness claimed the creature's world once again.

Exhausted, all its fight drained, the tiny creature fought to it formulate its broken thoughts; bitter, hate-filled, and dying for the hope one memory gave.

_Haa...that's right...  
><em>

_I am a..._

I am...

_I am...'Homunculus'.  
><em>

Overcome with tiredness, the tiny fetal creature allowed sleep to conquer it, along with the dreamless black hell that smothered it in.

The torture continued.

.

.

.

Under the moon, a lone figure walked the grey hills towards nowhere. The full white moon bathed its unconditional rays on his light hair, tied back in a braided ponytail, giving it an ethereal silver glow. Ghostly whispers of the wind teased his clothing.

The darkness was silent.

All at once, the young man came to a slow, trudging stop. Turning his head, he looked bleakly at the obscured dark path on which he had been wandering so long. Golden eyes, haunted, looked for what they could not see.

But there was nothing.

Sighing, the young man turned away, and resumed his solitary walk through the night.

Nothing could be done...

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.

.

R & R please!


	3. Clock Hands Tell Eternity

Chapter 2

Clock Hands Tell Eternity

_._

_The world is a dark place_

_When you have no eyes_

_To see it with._

.

When Edward Green imagined what a homunculus would look like, his creative young mind had certainly not envisaged this.

Squeezed amongst his gawking peers inside the sweltering circus tent, he silently congratulating himself on having managed to attain a prized spot at the front of the chattering crowd. The mousy mousy-haired boy gazed at the creature encased inside the bulbous glass flask.

Edward wore his usual ragged attire that marked him out like a birthmark amongst the crowd, consisting of a grubby brown jacket, white shirt, tattered trousers, and battered brown shoes without any socks. Small in stature compared to most his age, he tried his best to straighten his stance to the point where his spine ached to appear anything but. He failed, and, realising he simply looked ridiculous, hunched over, ashamed. The young boy's face, in contrast to his rough clothing, was pleasant, in a quiet, unassuming, natural sort of way; fresh and smoothly tapered, yet still retaining its childish roundness. His eyes, large and curious, were coloured a wonderful shade of amber, bright and shining with amazement at the creature beheld in them.

It was tiny, and greatly resembled a human foetus, only bile-green in colour, possessing three groping, tiny arms on either side of its body, and a pudgy, flicking tail. Another factor for its clear abnormality was its bulging eyes, positioned on either side of its large head—wide open, and coloured a strong, vibrant amethyst with the pupils of a demon. Its mouth ran vertically down from its nose to its mid-section like an ugly gash, opening and closing rapidly as it breathed, showing rows of razor-sharp, glinting teeth. It writhed and scrabbled about in its flask, even banging its own head against the glass in a vain attempt to escape, procuring peals of laughter from the terrified yet irresistibly drawn onlookers.

Edward felt a sharp yank of pity as the piteous little creature slumped down onto the base of the flask, its whole body heaving with exhaustion.

Its eyes were dead eyes—void violet tunnels leading to nowhere but a black pit of hell.

Suddenly, a rotund figure of a man waltzed into their view, standing behind the flask with vigour and brilliance radiating out of his great opulent face, arms flung outwards as if he wished with all his might to be able to embrace each and every person present, his protruding belly wobbling jovially. He wore a portly black suit, complete with a top hat and a gleaming black cane with he twirled almost as much as his funny little moustache.

'Ladies and Gentlemen!' he cried in his rich, oily, booming voice that sent prickles all the way down Edward's arms, 'It is a great pleasure to see you all here this evening! For what you are witnessing at this very moment, is a wonder beyond your wildest dreams! In this flask, you see here,' the gentleman said, gesturing to the flask's occupant below him, 'a creature that is none other than the fabled homunculus, a creature said to be brought into existence by means of alchemy!'

The crowd instantly gasped in awe, closing in around the struggling creature in the flask with renewed interest.

Edward's attention fell away from the ringmaster's rapturous, deafening voice and gazed fixedly at the tiny green homunculus in the flask. His large honey-brown eyes looked at the creature with innocent curiosity mingled with pity and helplessness. The thing could do nothing for itself. It couldn't go anywhere, couldn't stop the audience's stares or the ringmaster's ear-splitting voice that was clearly distressing it, couldn't even speak to let its pain be heard. All it could do was lie there in that tiny flask and wait for the end...assuming the end would ever come.

The homunculus, lying on its side with its eyes closed, stirred. It rolled over onto its belly, and, with effort, used all its tiny arms to raise itself upward, and fell back into a sitting position, where it stayed for some moments, panting. Its struggles were ignored by all save Edward, those others being too enthralled by the ringmaster's words to notice. The creature then sluggishly turned its head, and glanced feebly to one side with one eye half-open, in the direction of Edward Green.

Bleak, beaten amethyst met sweet, soft amber, and something powerful passed between the two entities like thunderous static, as if their souls had intertwined with one another.

The creature's sunken eye shot open, its pupils reducing to mere pin-pricks in sight of an overwhelming revelation. Light came back to its eyes again, and it threw itself forward onto all its minute little arms and, pushing itself fully sideways, drawing itself upwards as high as it could, tiny hands pressing against the glass, the tiny homunculus gazed fully at the boy. Its eyes were glowing like a glimpse of a dawn had streaked the terror night of its world.

'!'

Edward started, shaken by the creature's sudden fit of vigour.

The portly gentleman paused in his spirited speech and looked down at the boy, perplexed.

'What is it, child?' he asked, wiry moustache twitching slightly. The nine-year-old wilted under the oppressive silence and piercing gaze of the throng surrounding him.

'Um…' Edward mumbled, fidgeting distractedly, his eyes still resting on the foetal green creature staring frozen and horrified back at him.

'It's…It's nothing, sir, I…I was surprised by the creature's...similarities to...people…' He trailed off, by now extremely embarrassed. The ringmaster laughed heartily and ruffled the boy's hair. The homunculus relaxed.

'I thought someone might ask that! Of course, many of you may have noticed that the homunculus' appearance greatly resembles that of a human foetus; however…' The ringmaster paused, creating a great sense of gravity in the air, and Edward noticed that the stout gentleman cast a dark, ugly look at the tiny creature with small, narrowed black eyes. The homunculus returned this look with a black glare filled with an unspeakable hatred. 'You must remember that homunculi do not possess a soul, or any human emotions whatsoever. They are merely empty shells who live only to obey our commands.'

The crowd nodded stupidly in understanding. It then occurred to an insightful Edward Green that many of these people would have believed the man if he had told them the earth was in fact made of cheese. The gentleman then put on his best jovial mask, beaming smile and all, and addressed the crowd once again:

'Now, if you please, may all of you form an orderly line in front of the flask, so that each and every one of you will have the chance to observe the homunculus.'

Instantly everyone began to shuffle about and intertwine with one another, shoving and hissing to be one of the first in line to ogle at the pathetic creature. Edward had no luck, as his small, insignificant stature gave his peers the divine right to push him away, as if he were merely an obstacle that stood in their path of this fine privilege of a lifetime.

Unable to assert himself, Edward reluctantly trudged to the end of the line, heart thudding through his entire body as he ached for his turn to come.

At last, a long line of people was assembled, and one by one each person took great liberty in observing the creature firsthand. The creature, as an act of defiance, blunted their enthusiasm by turning its back on them, and curling up much like a cat does as it lays down to rest, and remained utterly motionless. The onlookers vented their frustration by tapping furiously on the glass in a vain attempt to get its attention, and, although this constant barrage of thunderous noise must have been an extreme annoyance to it, the homunculus simply ignored them.

Gradually the line decreased, and Edward's anxiety increased.

The disgruntled gentleman in front of Edward did not even bother to view the creature, and stormed away in a huff. Edward saw his chance and tentatively approached the flask.

The creature twitched slightly, and roused itself, as if sensing Edward's presence, and turned to look up at the boy curiously with one huge, bulging right eye.

Edward looked down at it without pride or a pleasuring, strong rush of racial superiority, but rather awe, sympathy, and a sense of responsibility for its obvious miserable existence forced upon it by the fat, pompous, ugly ringmaster.

Then the homunculus opened its vertically gaping jaws, and mouthed: '_Help me__._'

Edward's eyes grew wide. He stared at the creature in utter disbelief, blinking several times, not entirely knowing where he was.

'My God...' he whispered, thunderstruck.

The ringmaster loomed over him in a huge, expanding black mass, a marred smile forced across his rosy cheeks.

'Whatever is the matter?' he inquired.

Edward jumped, and could not bring himself to look him in the eye.

'Oh…nothing, sir, I thought the creature spoke just now…'

'Ah, yes!' cried the portly gentleman gaily. 'The creature does indeed harbour the capability of speech, due to its previous owner having taught it for some years—' at this the ringmaster's voice took on an almost undetectable tone of frustration—'but the little devil chooses not to do so, very likely out of spite…Homunculi are naturally malicious and foul.'

Suddenly, a revelation of thought struck Edward like a slap in the face. A good slap, that is.

He turned his face upwards to look at the man and said:

'Sir, how long will you and the creature stay in the area?'

'Another few weeks, at least,' the ringmaster replied, adding, 'why do you ask?'

The nine-year-old boy forced a convincing smile, although by now he could feel the bile rising in his throat.

'I wish to tell my family about this creature, so that they may view it as well.'

A great, pleasant grin stretched across the gentleman's face, revealing filthy black teeth and an overwhelming stench of rot and decay. The foul stink of his soul seethed through the man's teeth and wafted in the air like the plague reincarnated.

Edward had to force his body to resist the urge to retch.

'Well, now!' the ringmaster cried, 'Splendid! Please, by all means do so my good lad! Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, there is something I must fetch before I retire.'

With that, the ringmaster turned on his heel and strutted away, his cane twirling in his fingers, tails of his suit flapping elegantly. Edward sighed, mentally thanking God he had not succumbed to his first instinct to throw up his lunch.

The boy turned his gaze away from the departing gentleman and squatted down so his gaze was level with that of the homunculus. He stared at it for some moments, before the creature, gazing at the boy with now imploring amethyst eyes, mouthed:

_Help me.  
><em>

Now convinced of the homunculus' words, Edward nodded in response and soundlessly replied:

_I will as soon as I can.  
><em>

'What are you doing there?'

Edward cried out as a clutching fat hand grabbed his shoulder. He snapped his head round to see the blazing black eyes of the ringmaster drilling into his soul, his face hidden away in shadow.

'_What are you doing with the homunculus, boy__?'_ he repeated, his grip tightening like a vice grips bone before it is crushed.

Edward tried desperately to free himself, fiery jolts of pain surging up his arm.

'I…I was just trying to make it talk again, sir!' he cried, wild with terror. The tiny homunculus, looking equally horrified, began to quake violently.

'Is that so?' the ringmaster whispered.

After a pause, in which he appeared to consider the pros and cons of letting the boy go, he said,

'Very well, I shall let you go, on the assumption that you are telling the truth. However, you must swear on your soul that you will never approach this creature ever again, or mention a word of what has just passed between us, or I shall see to it that neither you nor your family will see the sun rise again.'

Now so terrified his heart was thrashing against his ribcage and his mind growing faint and hazy, Edward nodded. The ringmaster reluctantly released his grasp, and the boy raced away in a fit of sick terror, away from the darkness and into the blinding light of the summer afternoon.

That night, little Edward Green dreamt of gaping mouths lined with sharp teeth, flashing eyes and a tiny voice throbbing endlessly inside his head, whimpering '_H__elp me…help me!...'  
><em>

.

.

Alone in the silence and blackness, the homunculus thought. This was his only and final chance at life. Of this it was certain. The nauseating pressure in its gut threatened to overwhelm its desperate hope, and dissolve it from its mind. But the creature thought of the boy's sweet, courageous eyes as he promised its freedom, and its anxiety was sullied. But then the terrified look on the youth's face would spring back to mind, as well as his fleeing figure abandoning him to the ringmaster's violent rage, and chaos would come again.

If...if this would be another false hope, then the homunculus vowed to end these senseless eons of hell. Now, and forever, it would be over.

But...but what _then...?  
><em>

Choking back the tears, it implored anything that could give a sympathetic ear to this pitiful abomination of man.

_God...please...I beg of you...Give me the chance, a lifetime, a day, an hour, a moment... to see the sun with my own eyes. Let me be free and run through the world on my own feet. Somehow, some way, I care not, nor for how long...And I shall willingly die with a smile. Surely...surely such a wretch as I deserve at least that right...?  
><em>

But, as always, there was silence. And cruel, mocking laughter.

* * *

><p>R&amp;R please!<p> 


	4. Man Will Kill You

Chapter 3: Man will Kill You

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Note: My Envy (meaning, the one I portray in this fanfic) speaks in an archaic fashion, so excuse the fact he sounds incredibly sophisticated. He is sophisticated, and you'll find out why later.

Note 2: I attempted to do a different take on Envy, his personality and the FMA story in general. Hope you like!

.

.

_The darkness is alive.  
>It shreds, it rages, it paralyses.<br>My tiny being is an atom  
>Inside its putrid black stomach.<em>

_Bile and sweat._

_The darkness is alive…_  
><em>And it is slowly devouring<em>  
><em>The slivers of identity…<em>

_._

.

It had been three days. Thee days since Edward Green had first encountered the foetal homunculus, and faced the hideous wrath of the fat ringmaster. This is not to suggest that Edward had not approached the circus tent in which all this had occurred. He had indeed passed the huge white-and-green striped mass several times since. But…

But…

As the boy gazed, heart throbbing hard in his chest, up at the looming marquee, and remembered the homunculus's desperate pleas for help, something extraordinary yet wholly repulsive occurred. Something inside him quivered and urged him to run to the creature's salvation—but then Edward would jar as the fat, writhing, grinning face of the ringmaster would poison his mind's eye and rip apart his resolve. Every time, Edward found himself trudging away from that dreaded place, and every time a pitiful image of the homunculus, alone and waiting anxiously for his appearance, crying out in desolation as its one hope abandoned it to its hellish fate.

And every time, Edward Green would sob and moan in agony in the writhing grasps of remorse and self-loathing.

.

.

He ceased to eat. The sight of it made him retch, although his eating habits were the least of other's concern. The young boy's mind was sore and painfully aware of the emotions raging within him, the pain he had caused, and all this utterly negated any desire to eat. He lost weight, and his mind reeled with the strain. Every night Edward would awake screaming as he witnessed the homunculus standing, enraged and humanoid, before him, accusing him of betrayal and cowardice. The boy's dream-self would cry, no, no, please, I…I will save you! but the creature would look away, agonised, and call him a filthy liar, just like him. Before Edward could muster the strength to implore the creature to reason, the homunculus would spit at his feet, turn, and vanish into the darkness, leaving the boy to wake cold in his icy sweat and tears, croaking for it to come back.

.

.

By the third night, the boy was past the point of fear, eaten up by remorse, and leapt from his bed, spurred by the ardour of his wild determination. Seizing the matchbox lying on the crudely-fashioned beside table beside him, he struck it, sparked a glowing flame, and lit the candle in its brass candleholder, grasped the handle, and made his way cautiously across the room, out of the room, and into the living room.

It was engulfed in darkness, save for the eerie haze of light the candle flame provided. Edward inched his way across, shifting around the coarse dining chairs, iron stove, scrambled assortment of kitchenware, food and disorder strewn about the floor, until his clammy palms finally came into contact with the doorknob, and the rough material of his jacket hanging from a hook beside it. He knew full well the single other inhabitant would not stir for a raging riot outside his doorstep, such as the power of drunken slumber, but the unearthly silence made Edward feel endangered with discovery.

Snatching it off, he placed the candleholder down beside him on the floorboards, hastily donned his jacket, picked the brass holder up again, and grasped the cold knob with an apprehensive hand. Swallowing the last residues of fear and escapism, Edward Green ventured out with his little candle into the vast cold night stretching out before his raw vision, like a shadowy cosmos so genuine yet unknown to his senses.

_Help me. Help me..._

The homunculus's trapped whispers shivered in the frozen air around him, and Edward shook, walking in a pace agitated by urgency and a rising sense of the enormity of the mission he had undertaken. Hurrying past familiar hovels—now black masses in the moonless night—across the grass near the dirt path running through his village, Edward was aware of the utter silence prevailing him. It seemed he was the first man, wandering in search of a companion to share his desolate existence, through the freezing wind, dew-soaked grass dampening his torn trousers and tripping over dislodged stones in the undergrowth.

But still he hurried, as the tear-choked pleas of the creature who had placed the weight of its very existence on the boy's small shoulders, grew all the more loud and persistent.

.

.

At last, Edward felt the presence of the seemingly vast black shadow of the circus tent towered over his insignificant body, cold and ominous in the pitch silence.

Clenching the handle on his candleholder tightly, Edward crept across the grass towards the flap of the entrance and dropped into a crouch beside it. Risking a shallow breath, the boy licked his dry lips, and held the light to the gap in the entrance.

The air was like that of a bitter winter night—the whole world's cold condensed into a single space. Shivering uncontrollably, Edward cast his feeble sallow haze across the hushed darkness, and saw it.

In the centre of the scope, was a single table, and upon it, the bulbous flash containing the tiny green creature lying within it. Surround it, only various props and boxes. All were stored for the next day's show.

_Homunculus..._

Edward could not believe his own determination—the steadfast resolution that had led him to come here and save this tiny being.

Sparing a few moments for silent inner meditation, Edward explored exactly why he was risking almost certain death at the hands of one who would most certainly destroy him, in order to save the life of tiny, insignificant homunculus. Then he remembered how its eyes had shone with a fervent hope as it gazed full at him, as if it had witnessed a deity in him, and how it struggled with despair to free itself from its glass prison, and how those around him had mocked its pitiful efforts with malice, as if saying: _Ha! An inferior being such as you cannot hope to break free of our superior resources!_

Edward grit his teeth, and, approaching the flask, glistening perfectly in the candle glow, crouched down so its gaze was level with that of the sleeping creature. Then, Edward raised a hand, and gently tapped the glass—the motion ringing like chimes in the quiet.

_Ting…Ting…_

The little green foetal homunculus twitched, and, grudgingly, rose upwards. Its huge, bulging eyes half-opened, weary with sleep, and, upon seeing Edward, snapped open.

Light danced in the creature's deep purple eyes, and shone with tears. Opening its mouth, it spoke in a shrewd, shrill voice, as if the creature had inhaled a mouthful of helium.

_'So you came...'_

Edward's mouth almost dropped onto the floor in shock as his mind processed the fact that, heavens be praised, the creature had spoken! He controlled himself and nodded.

'Yes,' Edward replied, smiling. 'I'm sorry I took so long.'

At this, the creature's eyes sunk in recollection of the last few days' distress.

'Indeed,' it remarked quietly. 'I was beginning to resign myself to the notion I could not rely on a mere boy to quit me of my suffering.'

Edward flinched, and agony etched across his innocent features. Tears came to his eyes as the nightmares of his terrible nights came to haunt his reality.

'I...I'm sorry...' the boy choked, biting his lip. 'I...I...was...afraid...I...I wanted to save you...so much, but...but...'

He could not find an explanation, and the thought that he was excusing himself from his position of trust he had been bestowed threw Edward into a torrent of self-hatred.

The homunculus stared, wide-eyed and utterly bewildered at the genuine emotion in the boy's words and expression. It then occurred to it the insupportable weight of dependence and desperation had caused the boy to almost crumble under the strain. What had it been thinking? Ah, of course, it realised with horror and disgust. It hadn't been thinking—longing and suffering had warped its judgement and actions, and any kind of rationality on its part. Now, this poor child was suffering, and it had been the cause. It, who had firsthand endured unimaginable suffering, had unremittingly inflicted the same on others.

'...It is I who should apologise,' the homunculus said, at length. Edward gazed at the creature, eyes ignorant and amazed. 'I forced you into a position that I was mad to believe any young boy capable of mentally and physically accomplishing, and did so without regard to yourself or your feelings, focusing instead on my own desires.'

With a calm breath, the foetal creature looked the boy straight in the eyes, and said:

'Leave me here. I have no business leaving this flask if I do so exploiting the life of a child. I apologise sincerely for causing you such distress—not to mention forcing you out of your home at this ungodly hour and cold. I thank you for your compassion, and I hope, perhaps, you can forgive my selfishness. Goodnight, boy.'

Edward Green was struck dumb. Presently, the homunculus closed its eyes and ventured to sleep. It had given up. This realisation sent a wave of injustice and pity coursing through his body. He tapped the glass.

Cracking open one eye, the homunculus regarded the boy sharply.

'What is it? Why do you remain? I have realised my error. Go home, before you are caught.'

It stopped as it saw a broad smile grace the boy's lips.

'You made no error,' Edward told the creature. 'I came here to save you. And that's what I'm going to do! I can't leave you in pain like this! I'm...I'm like you, after all. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this to take me away from the life I hate—just as you have. Now we both have a chance to be free. You and me, together! We can go anywhere we want without fear of punishment, not restrained or trapped by our own suffering. We could walk about, maybe make money doing odd trades, maybe eat some sweet buns, play games, and talk and laugh like...like...like friends...would...' Tears were spilling from Edward's eyes, and he trailed to a halt, sobbing.

The homunculus felt a sharp tug within its being, tears now in its own eyes. Without at first realising it, he had come into contact with a kindred spirit, one in the hundreds of humans he had witnessed, come and gone. Now he understood the factor in Edward's keen empathy, and wished to reciprocate it.

'Boy...cease your tears,' it soothed. 'We shall do all of that, together. I wish to show the selflessness you showed to me, and accompany you away from this accursed place.'

The homunculus' eyes shone brightly in the gloom.

'It seems I have underestimated you, little boy.'

Suddenly, Edward perked up, eyes alive with anger and entire being glowing with an almost uncontrollable loathing.

'_Says the tiny, minute, undetectable, petite little homunculus!_' he shot back with comic indignation.

The homunculus stared. Then burst into high-pitched peals of laughter. So hysterical was its laughter, it seemed it had never done such a thing before in its life.

'Oh my...oh dear...I wondered what your weak spot was!' it sniggered through its giggles. 'Oh my...HA!...You have a funny temper...Ha ha..._shorty!_Ha!...'

'Don't call me that!' Edward cried, most of his anger diffused by the creature's mirth. '"Shorty", I mean!'

Wiping its eyes with its tiny hands, the homunculus suppressed its amusement.

'Apologies, apologies...' it said, still chuckling a little. 'Now you know me to be the biggest hypocrite known to man.'

Edward grinned.

'True,' he agreed, placing his candle on the table and picking up the creature's flask with both hands. 'But that's nothing you can't avoid if you stop calling me small!'

'We'll see,' the homunculus relented with half-hearted reluctance as Edward proceeded to grasp the thin, tube-like glass end and break it off with a sharp cracking sound.

Free, the homunculus leapt out from its ancient prison and onto the boy's shoulder, shrieking with ecstasy, bursting with a passion so long buried under the mires of despair the homunculus had been smothered amidst.

Edward's heart rejoiced to see the creature so infinitely happy. He felt its light elation lifting its heavy soul and propelling it heavenwards. He felt its long-awaited sight of true happiness before his eyes, and the bubbling anticipation of future times ahead.

'Ah!' the homunculus cried suddenly, having calmed somewhat. 'I have been so lost in rapture as to forget my manners! What is your name, child?'

'Edward Green,' the boy replied.

'Pleasure to meet you, Edward!' the homunculus exclaimed, 'Let's go!'

_'I think not.'_

A cold slice of ice scraped down his spine as the heavy, hissing voice of the ringmaster slithered into his ear. Edward let out a strangled cry as two fat hands seized him by the throat and squeezed. He tried to cry out, but the air was blocked in his mouth, choking him. Instead a terrified gurgling shuddered out, and he looked up to stare directly into the terrifying black orbs the ringmaster dared call eyes. Boxes crashed to the ground as the boy's legs collided wildly with them, sending props and costumes tumbling to the floor.

'EDWARD!' the homunculus screamed, horrified. It watched,eyes bulging, as the boy's kicking limbs began to grow slack, his breathing clogged and raspy.

**'I told you not to go near the homunculus, boy!'**the ringmaster snarled, shaking him till he cried out.

The tiny creature's hands balled into fists as a hot, raging hate and anguish boiled through his veins and clouded his brain like black smog.

Without warning, the creature flew at the ringmaster's fat crimson face. The huge man roared as the homunculus plunged its dagger-like teeth into his forehead, scratching at his flesh with all six of its scrabbling hands. The man's fingers fell away from Edward's throat, and the boy fell to the ground, gasping for air to fill his lungs. His cloudy vision fell upon a wooden staff that had fallen out of one of the wooden crates, and inched his fingers towards it, groping across the grass and dirt…

Meanwhile the ringmaster bellowed as the homunculus tore, bit and scratched, blood streaming into his eyes and mouth. He tried to wrench it off, but the creature darted away from his fat fingers and continued its frenzied onslaught.

Edward's fingers curled around the staff…

The ringmaster finally seized the homunculus and threw it away from him. The creature let out a piercing shriek as it smashed into one of the wooden crates nearby and fell to the earth a few meters from where Edward lay with a painful smack.

Edward gasped, straining to focus his vision, as he saw the blurred figure of the ringmaster approach the motionless little creature. He tried to raise himself, but the strength had left his legs and he fell down again.

'You shall pay for your insolence, _homunculus!_' he growled.

Fear and helplessness clawed at the boy's heart as he heard the creature's moans. It was then that the ringmaster raised his left leg and brought the hard sole of his shoe straight down upon it.

_'NO!'_

But it was too late.

A piercing scream cracked the air, and there was a sickening crunch as every bone in the creature's body shattered.

Edward heard the homunculus' pleasant words circling around his head.

_'What is your name, child?', 'We shall do all of that, together!', 'Pleasure to meet you, Edward!'..._

An unfathomable rage swept over him. He heaved to his feet and charged at the ringmaster, blinded by senseless fury. He raised the staff high with both hands and brought it driving down between the man's legs.

The ringmaster let out the most a howl of rage, swooned, and collapsed with an almighty thud upon the earth.

Edward held the staff in his shivering fists, staring at the massive form lying flat out before him with a mixture of terror and bewilderment, panting. His body had numbed, and he felt as if his body had suddenly taken over his mind. He stood there, motionless and cold. Then he heard a weak cough somewhere far away. He jumped, and suddenly he remembered.

_Homunculus!_

He shook himself out of the daze and ran to where the tiny homunculus lay on its side, kneeling beside it, tears in his eyes.

The creature, breathing raggedly, cracked open the one eye and gazed up at the boy. The snake-like pupils were strained with pain, and yet there was no innate knowledge of certain death, an outcome which Edward feared was inevitable as he glanced in horror at the pitiful creature's crushed body.

_'He...llo…Ed…ward…'_it wheezed.

'Homunculus, you shouldn't talk now…' Edward stammered, fearing any word could spell the end.

'Ah…worry not…' the homunculus assured, chuckling weakly, 'homunculi are…ow!...sturdy creatures. The internal injuries are currently…healing themselves…'

Edward blinked, confused, and then noticed crackling red sparks dancing around and over the creature's mangled body. Looking closer, he saw, with amazement, that the sparks of energy were indeed repairing the crushed bones within it, the lost blood replaced into the newly repaired veins and arteries flowing to fuel the struggling heart.

'Oh...my...' the boy whispered, his pale features illuminated a faint pink in the light of the busy little sparks.

'What did you do to the fat human?' the homunculus inquired, more energy pumping in his voice, now that his punctured lungs were more or less healed.

Edward grinned somewhat awkwardly.

'I…I rammed a staff into his…you know…' He gestured self-consciously to the manly area in question.

The homunculus followed the vague motion of the boy's hand, the realisation lighting in its eye, and burst into peals of high-pitched, somewhat pained, laughter.

'HA! You thrust it into his groin?' it exclaimed, with admiration and hilarity, 'Well done, Edward, well done!'

'But…why did he fall unconscious?' the boy asked, pleased despite himself.

Pure glee danced in the homunculus' amethyst eye.

'Ah! Ha ha ha! The groin is one of the many vulnerable spots on the human body—called pressure points. If the blow to this area in particular is hard enough, as yours was, it causes instant unconsciousness! My guess is,' the creature added, not without some relish, 'that the man will not awaken for quite a while!'

Edward shifted uncomfortably.

'We need to get out of here, before someone finds us,' he urged. He made a move to place his hands underneath the homunculus' body (the sparks having just fizzled away) in order to lift it, but stopped.

'Don't worry—I am completely healed!' the creature asserted with an unshakable confidence. To prove this, it lifted itself up into a sitting position and leapt into the boy's palms with all the vigour of the sparks that had healed it.

Edward smiled in relief, and the homunculus scrabbled up the boy's arm, perching on his shoulder as if it had always belonged there.

'Are you certain about this?' the homunculus asked, peering intently into the boy's eyes.

The creature's human companion nodded, beaming.

'I've never been more certain about anything in my life,' he replied, with confidence and surety that swayed the homunculus completely from doubt.

'Be sure to move quickly—morning is fast approaching,' it warned. 'First you must hurry and stock up on food—do not bother with myself, though. Homuculi have no need of food. Do this, and go. We must gather enough ground to outrun any pursuers,'

'I will,' Edward replied, and, taking one uneasy glance at the unconscious ringmaster, dashed out of the circus tent, through the entrance and out into the bright, cool dawn, where skylarks cried out in their joyful song and soared high across the heavens as the duo raced across the fields below towards the forest in the distance.

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Review please!


	5. Price of a Dream

Chapter 4:

Price of a Dream

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_Lie still, lie still, my breaking heart;_

_My silent heart, lie still and break: _

_Life, and the world, and mine own self, are changed _

_For a dream's sake._

-poem 'My Dream', by Christina Rossetti.

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Edward slowed to a jog as he neared the cluster of hovels that was his village, and was relieved to find no one in sight. The light was creeping over the hills in the misty horizon, and streaming across the land with shimmering splendour. The sky was now a pale blue, mingled with dashes of orange and dazzling yellow. He breathed in the rich country air filled with the scent of flowers and life, and sighed contentedly.

He felt the homunculus wriggle from its place on his shoulder.

Edward turned his head to smile down at it, but his eyes widened when he saw its amethyst eyes brimming with tears.

'It is beautiful…' it choked, reaching out its tiny arms as if to embrace the flowers, birds, grass and sky all at once. 'God…you truly made this world perfect.' The tearful homunculus wiped its eyes and added, its voice taking on a bitter edge: 'It's just a pity about the wretches that live in it.'

Edward felt a jab.

'Homunculus!' he whispered incredulously, 'I—!'

'Oh, I am sorry,' the creature overrode earnestly. 'Excluding your good self...and he majority of humans I now hope are trustworthy.'

Then its eyes took on a misty look as he added in a somewhat judicious air: 'However, it only takes one broken part to gradually destroy the machine.'

Edward stared, not quite sure how to think. It had not expected the homunculus to harbour such stinging resentment for humankind, but now he had witnessed what was surely a tiny portion of that hatred firsthand, telling of many centuries of scorn and suffering, it only seemed natural for it to think so. Edward fervently hoped that his influence had acted as a restorative to its judgement of man.

Without another word, the boy began to make his way towards a particularly ramshackle hovel a few yards away.

Approaching and halting a few paces from the door, a question struck him.

'Homunculus…how do you know about the Lord God?'

The homunculus looked up at the boy's face, which now encompassed the entirety of its vision , trying to fight the dizzying feeling in its head.

'I know the Truth and all its secrets. I know the ancient fabric of the cosmos and fragility of the time threads flowing from our world to the next. In short, I am inherently knowledgeable on all things past.' The homunculus spoke with a note of pride in its helium-intoned voice.

Edward gazed down at the creature with amazement (despite not knowing most of the words it had spoken), but seeing that the creature had no interest, or simply unwilling, to elaborate on particulars, he did not pursue the subject.

Instead, he approached the stinking, decrepit stone hut he called home, nakedly ugly in the morning light, and knocked on the wooden door somewhat hesitantly. At his touch, the door creaked open. Edward reasoned that his father had forgotten to shut the door when he came back from the bar.

'Keep quiet now, homunculus,' the boy told the squirming creature in his pocket. The creature pouted somewhat, but kept silent.

At this, Edward advanced forward and entered the dark house.

As it was so early in the morning, and given the inevitable temperament of the inhabitant, Edward knew it would be unwise to shout. He therefore dared to tread through the smoggy gloom that stank of rotting wood, hay, decay and drink. The stench was so foul that even Edward, who had lived in this house from his birth, could not help but wrinkle his nose in disgust. The poor homunculus, utterly knew to the prospect of smelling anything other than its own self inside the flask, was coughing and spluttering as the stench dove into its snake-like nostrils and ravaged its senses.

'Gah!' it whined, 'What—?'

'Who's there?' a terrible voice thundered from somewhere in the other room, 'Who the devil are you?'

It was a putrid, slurring, guttural voice, utterly void of anything to distinguish gender from.

'That's my—' Edward began.

'BLAST YOUR EYES, COME'N STAND 'FORE ME LIKE A MAN—I'LL BEAT YER BRAINS OUT!' the voice roared out, making them both jolt.

The homunculus was appalled. It had never before heard such vile uncouthness, although it would be insulting to say it was not aware of such things. Knowing of something and hearing it, however, were utterly different ideas, and the stark disparity shocked the creature.

Edward grimaced, and then called out:

'Mother, I'm going to stay with Uncle Ambrose for a while, so I'm going to take some food and clothes—'

'TAKE 'EM!' the boy's mother raged, so loud the house's wooden beams shuddered.

Edward winced, then sighed hollowly.

'Thank you.'

A crash of breaking glass. The boy knew he had to leave—now.

Edward tip-toed cautiously across the great cluttered space towards the wooden cabinets in the far-left corner, and began to place various raw foodstuffs (bread, cheese, potatoes etc.) into a cloth he found lying neglected, strewn across the floor in the middle of the room, tied it up into a bundle and tucked it under one arm. Edward then turned and made his way over to where his little bed stood, trying to force the hard lump in his throat to dislodge, but to no avail, and began to fold and pack his night clothes into the bundle, along with one extra pair of trousers and a shirt.

Done, the boy towards the front door, opened it, and hesitated. Turning his head, he called out, voice quivering:

'_Goodbye, mother.'_

There was no reply; only the repulsive glugging sound of alcohol pouring down the woman's throat.

Edward sighed, light amber eyes dim.

Without another glance, the boy ventured outside and shut the door on his past life, his home, and everything he had ever cared for.

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'A very charming woman, your mother,' the homunculus remarked sourly, looking miffed, now perched on top of Edward's mop of mousy brown hair. 'How dare she speak that way to her own son?'

It was late morning, and by now they had nearly reached their destination in the centre of the dense, shadowy forest. The looming pine trees shaded the two from the harsh blaze of the sun of the sweltering summer day, and the air was cool and pleasant.

Edward said nothing for a while, trudging sullenly across the dirt, fallen leaves and grass.

Becoming aware that this was not one of its most tasteful comments, the homunculus apologized.

Edward smiled sadly.

'No…you're right to say that, homunculus,' he murmured thickly, as the raw truth stabbed him in the heart. 'My mother is...has not been himself for the longest time...always…' He trailed off, unable to bring himself to voice the word "drunk", a shameful blush creeping into his face.

The little boy stopped and shut his eyes as tears stung them, the buried pain inside beginning to bleed through the cracks in his admirable defence.

The homunculus saw this and, alarmed, scrambled down from the boy's head and onto his shoulder, peering at him with its huge, bulbous eyes in distress.

'Edward! No, Edward, please do not cry! You have me, remember? Don't let that woman become the bane of your happiness!'

In desperation, the homunculus put one tiny hand on the boy's reddened cheek to catch the falling tears and said—in empathetic tones softened by understanding—'If you can't bear to leave your home and your mother, you can leave me here in the forest. I shall be safe from prying eyes, and you can take care of your mother. I know it was your decision to leave with me, but now I firmly believe this will do you more harm than good.'

The boy looked down at the little green creature in wonder with teary honey-brown eyes. Wiping his eyes, his trembling lips broke into a smile that warmed the creature to the very core.

'It isn't your fault, homunculus,' he assured it. 'As you say, it was my choice to leave my home and find a safe place for you. I have to stay true to my promises. Besides,' Edward added with a reflective smile, 'if I had stayed in that house any longer, I would have run away regardless. You strengthened my resolve to do so, and for that I'm very grateful.'

The homunculus nodded, speechless.

_This human…_

A snap of a twig.

The homunculus instantly dived down into the boy's coat pockets and huddled there. Edward swerved around.

A squirrel scampered across his path, sniffed the air, and flitted away into the shrubs.

Edward sighed, weary with relief, and continued walking. The homunculus remained within the safety of the boy's coat pocket, just in case.

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The hut stood silent and empty in the centre of the clearing ahead, the light wooden timber it was made from gleaming in the blazing sun. Birds sang in the branches, and life seemed alive and thriving everywhere in the centre of an untainted paradise.

A high-pitched whistle sounded from below, and Edward looked down to see that the homunculus was gazing at the specimen with approval.

'Well!' it said admiringly, 'This "hut" is in far better state than I first suspected. You humans should feel privileged for being provided such decent accommodations.' The last sentence was tinged with something akin to envy, but Edward overlooked it.

The boy grinned and crossed the bright grassy expanse towards the door, and knocked twice on its wooden surface.

No answer.

The homunculus cocked its head to one side.

'Your uncle is not here?' it asked.

Edward's grin grew wider, and somewhat ashamed.

'I don't _have_ an Uncle Ambrose, homunculus,' he explained sheepishly, 'but my mother was far too drunk to know that. I don't know who the previous owner was, but it's well-known to have been abandoned by him long ago, so it's safe for us to live in...for now. If anyone asks Mother where we went, we'll be safe, since it is doubtful that she'll remember I ever left.'

The homunculus shrieked with laughter.

'Ha ha! You're a clever human! My, you little devil, you!'

Beaming with pride, Edward entered the house, with the tiny green homunculus still cackling away, and flopped down upon the chair that sat beside it. He looked about him, and instantly regretted doing so.

What they had expected was not what they saw.

Dirt thrived in the dusty corners of the moderately sized room, flies buzzed noisily around the rotting carcass of a dead rat that lay half-stripped of flesh by the rickety wooden table standing feebly in the centre. Moss and fungus sucked at the ceiling, and crawling, squirming mites gnawed at the walls, and the ceiling was alive with shadowy cobwebs, stirring eerily in the draft, the floor coated in so much dust it was almost a two-inch thick layer. The room was bare, save for the aforementioned table, two maggoty chairs, a rusty iron stove to the left, and a bed with mottled sheets and frayed mattress most definitely crawling with lice. There was one small window at the other end of the room, the windows cracked, curtains violet rags, like ghostly claws, shifting in the wind.

The boy and the homunculus gaped, thunderstruck.

The homunculus was first to get over the initial shock at the state of their chosen dwelling, and responded as any normal human would at this outrage.

'What is this? This is a prison cell!' it exclaimed furiously, its tiny hands gesturing wildly at its unsightly surroundings.

'Apparently the previous owner didn't much care for a clean environment to live in...' Edward murmured.

The homunculus shot him a look of such utter incredulity that Edward had to laugh out loud.

'"_Didn't much care?"_' the creature shrieked, procuring more peals of laughter from its companion, 'I'd say the man did all in his power to improve its vile state; he most likely shovelled filth into the place and stuffed the room full to the brim of dust and grime as a welcoming gift for the next visitor! Very considerate of him, I must say!'

The homunculus commenced laughing at the hilarity of the mental image his graphic proclamation conjured, and the boy laughed along with him, washing away all anxiety, all anger, and all fear.

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When the boy and the homunculus had settled into their new home, (although not before sweeping the majority of the dust, dirt and cobwebs out of the door with the ragged old broom standing in the far corner of the room, and had shaken as many insects out of the bedsheets as was possible), they lapsed into individual silent reflections.

Edward sat mildly on the edge of the bed, and the homunculus lay comfortably on its front on the table's surface next to the bundle of food and folded up pyjamas and cap. Suddenly, another question struck him.

'Homunculus?'

The creature opened one eye and peered at him laxly.

'Hm?'

'What do you want to do now?' Edward asked, somewhat tentatively, afraid that his words would irritate it, 'Are you happy staying as you are forever, knowing that a lot of people are definitely searching for you?'

The eye that looked at Edward closed as the homunculus pondered thoughtfully. After a few minutes, it replied:

'No, Edward, I am not, although it would be selfish of me to deny that I am far better off than before when I was kept prisoner inside the flask.'

Edward was silent for a few moments. Then a thought struck him.

'Don't become like the little christmas tree,' he said. The homunculus stared, bewildered.

'What?'

'You know, the story where a little firn tree wants to be something bigger and better, becomes a Christmas tree, as it always wanted, but then get chopped up into firewood and burned, realising it should have been happy the way it was before,' Edward explained.

The little creature considered this, then shook its head.

'No. I cannot be happy with the life I live, but I do not plan to go beyond the limits of which I am all too aware. At present, I am hunted by humans who wish to use me for their dirty money. I cannot live a free life in fear of discovery and capture, and in my present form I cannot hope to defend myself nor you, Edward, from those individuals. It also means I cannot convince the public that I mean them no harm—as you know I do not—while I remain as I am, and in this situation.'

The creature paused, and, at length, declared:

'I need a vessel. A human vessel, a form with which I can walk on my own two feet, work in peace when I am obliged by the people of the country to have my freedom, and fight, if I must, to ensure our survival. Edward…'

The homunculus looked up at the boy, its amethyst eyes gleaming with a passionate aspiration.

Edward looked down at the homunculus, curious, yet apprehensive.

'...What do you need me to do?'

The creature's eyes widened.

'First, let me tell you how I came to be, wretched as I am, puppet as I was until you found me. The fundamental and vital law of alchemy is 'equivalent exchange'—if one wishes to attain something, one must sacrifice something of equal value in return. I shall tell you my story, and in return, you will give me a body.'

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Review please!


	6. Despair and Red Stones

Chapter 5, Part 1:

Despair and Red Stones

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_I never watch the scatter'd fire_

_Of stars, or sun's far-trailing train, _

_But all my heart is one desire, _

_And all in vain: _

_For I am bound with fleshly bands, _

_Joy, beauty, lie beyond my scope; _

_I strain my heart, I stretch my hands, _

_And catch at hope. _

'De Profundis' ("Out of the Depths of Despair")

by Christina Rossetti.

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It took less than a half hour for the homunculus to tell the story of its creation, and how it came to know the formula to acquire a human appearance. Edward listened, spellbound.

The creature said it thus, in a voice that was dull with the mists of memories floating back to its consciousness.

'I was born in a little flask in an abandoned hut tucked away amidst the dales of England one night, when the moon glowed red. I emerged appearing exactly as I do now—ugly and pitiful. The first sight my eyes beheld were those of my creator, gazing down at me in astonishment. I inquired if he was indeed the man I believed him to be, and he, still caught in the grip of shock, replied the affirmative. He in turn inquired if I were the being brought out from beyond. This I thought to be a very odd question, but regardless assured him I was. All homunculi are formulated from beyond—creatures of all and nothing. Satisfied, he smiled. The very first smile I was given, and the only one that demonstrated any kind of warm, pleasant feeling. Thenceforth, he was my father, and I adored him. We could speak hours on end, laugh, jest, debate, question, till dawn came again, and never tire.'

The homunculus seemed lost in its happy recollections, gazing dreamily heavenwards as if witnessing a vision of light.

'He was an honest, kind man,' it continued, 'and young for an alchemist of his calibre; only in his early thirties. I inquired whether he had a wife, and he replied he had, but she had left him not too long ago. I was saddened by this, and ventured to alleviate his sorrow by entertaining him with great knowledge of the unknown, and seemed to succeed for a while. However, eventually he tired of my talk and grew increasingly melancholy. I was anxious, for I was lost as to what was troubling my father, and how to comfort him. Eventually, any regard for myself was one of sour contempt and disinterest. I for one was dumbfounded, and deeply hurt. What had I done to deserve such cold treatment? I frantically analysed and evaluated every scrap of conversation that had passed between us, and I was horrified to find not one fault. Up until the last few weeks, there had been courteous, pleasant banter and discussion, absolutely nothing to garner such a transformation in character. I have never wept as much as when I realised I had lost my father's love.

'One night I mustered the courage to question him, trembling in fear for the answer. My creator, my father, regarded me with those pitiless cold eyes, and said: "_Because you are ugly._"'

The homunculus squeezed its eyes shut in agony of the memory, and forced itself to persist.

'At those words, I burst into a fit of panic, crying that it had not bothered him before—why cite it as an excuse now? And if he so detested my form, why not use alchemy and transform me into something more agreeable? I would have done anything to please his sight. But my father merely shook his head murmured: "_It is useless._" Those were his last words to me. The next morning, I looked to see him sleeping at the fireside in the corner of the hut, as he always was, but he was not there. I was calm, and imagined he had gone for an early walk, and would await his return. Several hours past, and he had not come. I called for him, but still I saw and heard nothing of him. The day passed, and I was a wreck—terrified of his loss and my loneliness. I could do nothing but sit and wait in that tiny flask for a man I knew, deep in my soul, would never come. I wept and cried his name in vain, and, as my terror reached its peak, fell into unconsciousness. When I finally awoke, my eyes saw the dark pit of despair I was doomed to exist in for countless centuries to come...'

The homunculus trailed off. Edward pitied it as the little creature shook at the remembrance of its pain. Yet it persevered, determined to tell the boy all it had to say.

'I had been taken. Stolen into the dark catacombs hundreds of feet below the earth, which I soon discovered to be inhabited by the most demonic of beings who wished to use my for their vile ambitions, the likes of which even now I cannot guess. I remained in that flask alone for what now feels like endless chasms of time, hanging still like a pendulum frozen. I was at their mercy, humiliated, ripped apart and forced back together by their filthy prying hands, and left dying over and over again in a ceaseless wheel of torture. Gradually, my mind began to split apart like seams in a tapestry, ruined by pain and anguish. The only thought intact was that my creator would someday save me from this living hell. I treasured the first smile he had given me, and every day believed I would see his face once again, and everything would be joyful again. But it was not so. Every moment I closed my eyes I prayed, and every time, upon opening them, I saw only blackness, and screamed in agony. Still I hoped. Still I prayed. I wonder now why I did not simply end myself as I could of done endless hundreds of thousands of times before. Why did I cling to this hopeless fragment of my memory? I cannot bring myself to think why. It must have been...No. I cannot do it.'

The tiny, slug-like creature buried his face in its minute, formless hands, and was silent for several minutes, overcome.

Presently, it gathered itself, and, with a haggard sigh, continued.

'Several hundred years passed. Several hundred years of torture continued, and I was now a soulless husk of the being I had been. Until, one day, I awoke to see the odious face of the ringmaster in my sights. He grinned repulsively and sneered: "_I am glad you were not lying to me. This thing will make me rich beyond my wildest dreams! A homunculus, you say? Excellent! I shall use him to the utmost." _And that is exactly what he did. For years, that disgusting man paraded me in front of gawping humans, laughing, mocking and cowering at my every move, my very form. But they had every right to be repulsed.'

At this, the homunculus gestured to its tiny, feeble, weak body. _So pathetic_, it thought; its snake-like, amethyst eyes burning with self-loathing.

'I had lived—or rather, not lived, but slowly died—thus for many years before you graced me with the hope and courage that has brought me here. I had long-since given up the notion of rescue, but I was still unwilling to end my life. The idea of doing so...I cannot describe it. And so,' the homunculus concluded wearily, looking at Edward with ancient eyes fashioned by centuries of torment, 'that is the story of how I came into this world, and how I have spent the past few eons of my life.'

It paused for breath and time to regulate its thoughts.

'But no more. Now, finally, it is time to turn the tables. I come to the matter at hand—'

'It doesn't involve hurting other people or robbing graves does it?' Edward suddenly blurted out, the notion (born from his boundless imagination) having troubled him since the creature had first brought up the prospect.

The homunculus frowned.

'Your manners are remarkable, interrupting when someone is talking,' it muttered sarcastically, before saying: 'And no, none of that is involved, I assure you. It involves just you and I—and no, you will not be harmed!' the creature cried in a higher pitch than usual as a horrified expression came over Edward's face.

The boy relaxed.

'No,' it added, thoughtfully. 'In fact, it is I who is in any sort of danger during this ritual.'

Edward was just about to open his mouth to ask another question, when the homunculus silenced him with a sharp look. The message was clear: _Silence._

The boy was silent.

'Anyway…' the creature resumed, eyeing its listener for any signs of further interruption, 'The text was written in Latin, the ancient language only I can decipher. The following things are required to complete the ritual: chalk (or at least something to procure an effect of chalk), a drop of blood from the one performing it—that is you, by the way—and last, but not least, the Philosopher's Stone,'

Edward stared at the creature, stunned.

'The Philosopher's Stone?' he repeated. 'What's that?'

'A legendary substance long lusted after by avaricious alchemists of old,' the homunculus replied. 'It is said to grant immortality to the one who, by some miracle, creates it.'

'S...surely such a thing can't exist!' Edward cried, half-frightened.

'If it did not exist, I would not be talking to you now. In fact, I would not exist at all!' the homunculus explained, its snake-like eyes glittering, drawing itself up to its full height with pride. 'We don't even need to look for it, or to create it, for _I_, a homunculus, carry the fabled blood-red stone within me.'

Opening its mouth wide, it pointed at its throat. Edward peered keenly into it, and caught a glimpse of a bright flash of red, like a jewel, deep within the squirming mass of the creature's insides.

'The Philosopher's Stone is my _heart__—_that is how I was created!'

The nine-year-old boy gaped.

Cold air stirred the rags that were curtains and crawled up Edward's spine with pinching fingers.

The homunculus lay down again, and began to think deeply and carefully on how exactly this little boy was to fulfil a task most accomplished alchemists could not perform, its large face contorted in wrinkles of deep contemplation.

Then an idea struck it and the creature leapt up onto its hands, overcome with excitement.

'Find me a stone! Go out and find me a stone—any stone, and bring it here!'

It had begun. Edward was out the door like a shot, and barely minutes after came back with an assortment of different stones. The homunculus told him to scratch each one on the floorboards below them to see which made an adequate drawing device. A few tries later, they found a sharp flint to be the best choice.

Then the homunculus described in precise and intricate detail how a giant transmutation circle (used by alchemists to perform extraordinary scientific feats) that would take up the whole length and breadth of the room. First you needed to draw a precise circle in the centre, then surround it with a bigger hexagon, another circle around that, and yet another circle around that, complete with many ancient runes drawn in the narrow gap between the two giant circles. Edward did as he was told with great anxiety, dragging the flint around the room with his heart hammering. Whether it was from the heart-stopping amount of concentration and precision that was required for this task, or the uncertainty of the result of what he was doing that caused this, he did not know.

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Finally, as night fell, the great white transmutation circle was finished. It glimmered in the pallid silver moonlight filtering inside the room from the open windows. The homunculus jumped up and down in a frenzy of anticipation in the centre, with Edward standing on the narrow outskirts, his heart hammering like tongs on an anvil inside his chest. The homunculus had told him the ancient chant necessary to complete the transformation, but there was one slight problem.

_It was all in Latin._

Edward had endured several hours of reciting the passage, the pronounciation of each word tutored by the surprisingly patient, yet fervent homunculus, to the point where the boy wished that whoever had created the wretched language be damned in hell. At last, the homunculus deemed his fluency adequate enough for them to complete, and was bouncing around the circle in a fit of joy.

'Oh, Edward!' the creature cried ecstatically, 'Oh my dear child; I cannot believe this moment is true! Oh goodness, oh gracious! Ha ha ha ha ha!'

It shrieked with laugher and hugged itself in its glee.

Edward grinned, his anxiety diluted somewhat by the creature's delight. He presently bit his finger, held it out, and let a single red drop fall from it and onto the chalk.

Suddenly, the entire circle began to shine a blinding, luminous white, and an explosion of colour swept upwards and engulfed them. Edward cried out as the creature was swallowed up in the blast, but then heard it shout: '_NOW, EDWARD!'_

Then he began to recite the ancient mantra, his voice pulsing throughout the room like an almighty echo:

**'O, creatura of cruor - rutilus calx! Unus quisnam teneo haud ut nex , quod sentio haud poena. Aspicio meus vox vocis quod exsisto existo sic vos may ineo inter men , vos quisnam erant no ex humanus manuum ; creatura of mille voluntas. Audite is ritus chant subsisto quod erigo orbis terrarum per vestri vox quod vires! Exorior... _homunculus!_'**

As the last word that escaped the boy's mouth, the light contracted and rebounded upon the creature, swirling into a bulging ball of light which exploded into dazzling flashes of energy. Edward covered his eyes against the devastating brightness, the rushing and crackling and sizzling sparks roaring in his ears.

The last thing he did before falling into a floating blackness was pray that all would be well.

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A body lay sprawled upon the transmutation circle in the gloom. Sparks still hissed around its rim, throwing out eerie flashes of red amidst the darkness.

Its mind rose out of its hazy unconsciousness, and it cracked open one eye. It felt the wooden floor below it, rubbing against its smooth cheek as it twitched convulsively. It felt…strange. It felt…_powerful_.

Boundless, surging energy coursed through its veins and made strong muscles bulge with vigour. While its half-conscious mind tried to process what had happened, forcing the tired pulses in its brain to work, the creature sensed the presence of something other than itself in the room. Painfully, it turned its head slightly to one side so that its chin touched the floorboards. Its vision, blurred and unfocused, took a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. It saw the blurred figure of a young boy lying still at the other side of the room.

It blinked groggily.

He smelled…human. The stench of original sin was lingering there in his heart. He could hear the whispers of the boy's darker side, and the throbbing beat of his heart.

But who was this child?

_Who was…?_

The creature's head suddenly spun horribly, and its brain threatened to throw it back into unconsciousness, but the creature fought back and forced its head to clear.

Then, slowly, trembling, it crawled unsteadily across the room on all fours, like a beast who had never gotten used to the idea of walking, stiff and fumbling.

Its eyes glowed like two violet orbs in the darkness as it approached the unconscious boy. It halted, and clumsily folded its legs under it in a kneeling posture before him, staring, wide-eyed and expressionless.

It stretched out a hand…

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Edward's Incantation Translation (which I don't pretend to be accurate, I used the internet translation softwares, after all):

'O, creature of the blood-red stone! One who knows no to death, and feels no pain. Behold my voice and arise so you may to enter among men, you who were made from human hands; creature of a thousand senses. Hear this ritual chant to stand and raise the earth with your power and might! Come forth, _homunculus!_'

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Review please!


	7. Bullets Tear More Than Flesh

Chapter 5, Part 2:

Bullets Tear More Than Flesh

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_What man creates, man destroys._

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A soft nudge rocked Edward out of unconsciousness, the hard wooden floor below him suddenly making itself known to his sense of feeling. The boy rubbed his eyes and murmured sleepily. Then he heard a voice, slowly growing in volume. It was vibrant, self-assured, bold, yet full of… distress?

_'...ward!...Edward! Can you hear me? Edward Green!'_

He turned his head towards the sound and slowly opened his eyes to look at the speaker.

Long, spindly black hair tickled his face, hanging down in long, narrow clusters from a head hovering just above his face. Edward looked up into relieved snake-like amethyst eyes—the likes of which he vaguely remembered seeing before in someone else…

Then realisation dawned.

The boy jolted upwards into a sitting position, procuring a startled cry from the stranger above him, who jerked back to stop a painful collision of heads.

Edward stared at the person sitting cross-legged and bewildered before him. It was a young male adolescent, and a very strange one at that. He had a sturdy build, and seemed to possess a hidden strength in the muscles rippling under the pallid skin. He wore black shorts cut off above the knee, and a matching top made out of the same silky material, sleeveless, and cutting off at the mid-section; tight to show off his impressive torso. His spindly black hair hung over a black bandana, snaking down past his shoulders to his hips. His face was tapered, clearly defined, and handsome…in a childlike, impish sort of way.

Edward stared, stunned with the person's sparse clothing.

'…Homunculus?' he whispered.

The youth beamed, showing familiar sharp, shark-like teeth.

'Edward! You are alright!' it cried warmly, and threw his arms around him, drawing him close to his chest in a big bear hug.

Edward could not react. His body was numb. Then the knowledge that the feeble little green creature had finally got its wish; to gain the appearance of a human, to be able to walk on his own two feet, to go places, to defend them both if the situation called for it, and to make his own destiny, not one forced upon him by voracious, covetous humans. He returned the embrace with delight swelling in his heart.

A whisper crept softly into his ear:

'_Thank you_,'

It was the homunculus.

Edward felt the creature's arms around him tighten slightly.

'Thank you…Edward,' it said again, with intense emotion.

'For what?'

'For giving me this body, you silly boy!' the homunculus chuckled in his new voice far less high-pitched than before—now youthful, cheerful, and pleasant to the ear. 'And for rescuing me from that my terrible fate. You saved my life, and I could not properly show my eternal gratitude until now…'

Edward felt tears well up in his eyes, and suddenly he was overcome with heaving sobs. He had been longing for an embrace ever since he could remember, and now, finally, someone was drawing him into that loving, warm hold he had so craved.

The homunculus, alarmed, drew back a little.

'Edward! Edward, what is the matter?' he cried, holding the boy's tear-sodden face in his hands. Human hands!

He wiped away the tears spilling down the boy's face with his long, perfect fingers, amethyst eyes brotherly.

'Worry not, little one—I will protect _you_ now,' he whispered, stroking Edward's mousy hair affectionately, 'I shall repay you for your kindness to me. All shall be well…someday. Someday we shall be free.'

For a while they simply sat there, in the centre of the ancient alchemic circle in the blissful sound of silence, tucked away from wicked eyes, wicked hands, and wicked men; the homunculus holding the human close and softly humming a long-forgotten song from an age long past in his ear, while the human fell sound asleep in its arms, as safe and fulfilled and content as any boy had ever been before.

The door burst open, and about a dozen men, pistols poised and flashing wickedly in the light of the moon glowing coldly behind them, stood looming like demons on the threshold.

They glared down at the homunculus with scorn and contempt. Edward jumped awake, and gazed at the men in terror.

One leered and barked:

'Homunculus, you will be destroyed right here, along with the boy. You know too much, and now you have obtained a body, we cannot allow you to live. Take one breath of life, monster, before you die!'

They aimed their pistols at their heads.

The homunculus stared at them in fear and incomprehension, his eyes wide and crying out: _Why? **Why?** _

The sound of fingers squeezing the trigger…

Edward screamed and buried his face in the homunculus' chest.

The creature jerked free and lunged forward with a piercing howl—

Shots blasted through the air and echoed in hollow shockwaves through the forest, and then...silence.

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**'**_Sleep my child and peace attend thee,__  
><em>_All through the night__  
><em>_Guardian angels God will send thee,__  
><em>_All through the night__  
><em>_Soft the drowsy hours are creeping__  
><em>_Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,__  
><em>_I my loving vigil keeping__  
><em>_All through the night…_'

—The Homunculus' Lullaby, 'All Through the Night'.

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Review, please!


	8. Do Homunculi Dream of Happy Days?

Chapter 6:

Do Homunculi Dream of Happy Days?

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_Does the road wind up-hill all the way?_

_Yes, to the very end. _

_Will the day's journey take the whole long day? _

_From morn to night, my friend. _

-poem 'Uphill' by Christina Rossetti.

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The booming crack of the multiple faded away into the stunned silence of the forest, and Time itself stilled. The shadowy cobwebs stirred, and wisps of gunpowder drifted out of the murderers' pistols, poised down at their frozen targets.

There was a cough, and something wet splattered onto the floorboards.

'Really, what awful manners!'

It was the homunculus' voice—sardonic and composed.

Edward peeked through his fingers, and cried out in horror.

The homunculus stood before him, its back to him, crimson sparks crackling about its form, blood spilling from many holes in its flesh and staining the wood with bloody-red stains of persecution; an eternal reminder of humans' sinful deeds. The boy then realised that his friend had used its own body to shield him from the rally of bullets.

The sparks spat and flickered around the creature's bleeding arms, legs and middle-section, fizzling out a split second later as the bleeding stopped altogether.

The wounds had healed themselves as before.

The homunculus laughed in the face of its attackers, its eyes blazing in triumph and defiance.

'Foolish humans!' he sneered, licking the blood away from its chin, an act unseen by Edward, but frightening the life out of the stunned would-be murderers. (He did this solely to procure this reaction, and was thoroughly satisfied with the result). 'You underestimated my power, and you paid the price with your dignity!' Suddenly it leered forward and added spitefully: 'That is, _if you possessed any dignity to begin with!__'_

Then its voice became abruptly abrasive as it barked:

'Now get out.'

The men stood frozen in terror.

'GO, SCUM!' the homunculus roared, charging forward as if to throw itself upon them. The men fled like dogs, racing away back through the clearing and disappearing into the woods; defeated by the very being they had sought to destroy.

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The homunculus sighed, a weary sound that held the innate knowledge of a long road ahead. He scratched the back of his head and turned towards the boy sprawled on the floor behind him. His new, thin lips broke into a broad smile of relief, and held out its hand to the younger.

Edward took it wordlessly and let himself be pulled to his feet.

Both were silent for several moments. Then Edward spoke.

'…Homunculus, thank you…so much,' the boy murmured with profound and humbled gratitude from the bottom of his heart. This creature, whom it had barely known for more than a day, had risked its very existence and well-being on his behalf. Such an act was the height of purity, and so extraordinary in its magnitude that Edward could not help but revere the being before him. 'I...I can't begin to think how I can repay you for what you've done for me…'

The homunculus grinned its sharp-toothed grin and placed a hand on the boy's head.

'Nonsense, Ed! Don't fret over it. I was only too glad to save your life—you saved mine, after all!'

Edward blinked.

'"Ed"?' he repeated.

The homunculus slapped its hands onto its belly, threw back its head and laughed, loud and light-hearted.

'Yes! It is your new nick-name; you don't mind, do you?'

Edward smiled at his friend.

'Not at all!'

The homunculus patted the boy on the back, and rested one hand on his shoulder.

'But...what should I call you?' Edward asked, embarrassed at not having done so earlier. He had not assumed the homunculus had a name, and the creature had never introduced himself with one. Edward had thought of addressing him as simply 'Homunculus', but then it seemed so callous, such a thing only stripping his friend of any individual identity to call his own.

The homunculus thought for a few moments.

'...I cannot think of one appropriate,' he admitted finally with a strange smile. 'I think "Homunculus" should do for now. I need more time to think. At this moment, we have far more important matters to address. We need to leave before more humans come to harm us,' he continued, expression now altogether more sombre.

Edward gripped the homunculus' hand anxiously.

'Who were those men?' he stammered, his large eyes straying to the spot that they had occupied moments beforehand.

The homunculus's thin black eyebrows furrowed.

'I couldn't guess,' it admitted gravely. 'However, they know what I am and they are determined to kill me above all else.'

At this the sinewy, black-haired androgynous adolescent that was a homunculus threw a glance at the boy that was wracked with guilt.

'You don't have to follow me, you know. You will experience only hardship. I do not want you to suffer with me,' it said.

Edward smiled.

'If I go back, I will experience Mother's shouting and beatings, and I might just be hunted down and killed by more of those men for knowing about you. No matter which path I take, I will find hardship there,' the little boy placed his hand in the other's, and said: 'At least, if I encounter hardship on this path, I will do it with you. Besides,' he added, grinning somewhat nervously, 'apparently I know too much—but what did they mean by that?'

The homunculus chuckled, and, giving the boy's hand a firm squeeze, replied:

'God only knows, but I don't plan to stay and find out!'

With that, the homunculus grabbed hold of the boy and threw him onto its back, wrapping its powerful arms around his little legs, whirled around and tore across the floorboards, heading straight for the wall. Edward screamed and buried his face in the homunculus' whirling mass of long, stringy black hair, hanging on to its shoulders for dear life. The homunculus was there in a nanosecond, and rocked backwards, raising one leg and, with an almighty yell, lashed out at the wall with the force of a steel battering ram.

The wood smashed apart and burst outwards, leaving huge, gaping hole in its wake.

Crushed logs and splinters crashed to the ground at their feet, and without a moment's hesitation, the homunculus sped out into the cool summer evening—with Edward clinging to him like a baby monkey—dashing noiselessly across the clearing and dissolving into the darkness of the forest, the sound of its thundering footsteps melting away into the silence.

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Nightfall. The moon, a solitary white orb in the black heavens stretching over the land, bathed the whispering stream beside the sloping bank in her false luminance, and the silent oak trees stood like unyielding dark obelisks, their leaves crackling in the biting northern winds, which hissed with a chilling tell-tale of dark days as it drifted through metal poles in the wallows of despair and misery.

Edward and the homunculus lay side by side upon the grassy bank beside the lapping stream, basking in the light of the moon and the still, tranquil silence. They were hundreds of miles away from their previous location, but had reached their destination in a relatively short time of a mere few hours, thanks to the homunculus' superior (and quite frankly, terrifyingly adept) agility and boundless stamina.

They were safe…for now, at least.

'Ed.'

At the sound of his newly-acquired pet name, the nine-year-old turned his head to one side to acknowledge the brazen, sparsely-dressed adolescent homunculus lying beside him. The creature was now completely at ease, his long, spindly tresses of black hair sprawled softly in every direction upon the grass, its muscular arms folded contentedly behind its head, gazing solemnly up at the moon, his eyes mirroring its brightness.

'What is it?' Edward asked.

The homunculus remained silent for some moments. The stars above, like glittering jewels; unattainable treasures for a damned failure. There was a raw longing and wondering look in its eyes.

Then a small, satisfied smile broke across its pale features.

'I see peaceful times ahead,' it said.

Edward stared at the dreamy homunculus in disbelief. The creature had the ability to smash giant holes in solid wood with no apparent effort whatsoever, and now it could predict the future? Next moment it would tell him it could change its form however it pleased.

The homunculus chuckled.

'No, I haven't predicted the future,' it said, showing all its sharp teeth in a grin. 'It is my ultimate goal in life. My dream.'

'Your dream?' Edward repeated, intrigued.

'Yes,' the homunculus replied, casting a solemn sideways glance at the boy as it turned its head to look fully at him. 'Homunculi dream too, you know.'

'I never doubted it,' Edward assured, fearing his companion had mistakably taken offence.

However, the young humanoid creature grinned to show it had not, and the boy relaxed.

'My dream,' the homunculus spoke up, 'is to roam free about the country without being taunted and abused as if I were some loathsome demon. I dream of the day when I can join hands with humans without fear or suspicion, return a gladsome smile, to enjoy the same joys they do, and to work, live and die contented. That is my dream, and I am determined, God willing, to make it a reality for both of us.'

At this the creature moved one arm sideways across the grass and held out its hand to him, and said:

'Edward, will you help me?'

Edward Green was speechless.

He gazed at the creature's entreating countenance in awe and admiration for its sheer valour and burning spirit, and was suddenly filled with a firm and true aspiration as well: to help the homunculus by any means possible. Doing so was his own dream.

Edward moved one arm upwards to meet the other's, and firmly gripped the homunculus' pale hand. There was no need to say anything.

The two entities exchanged a smile and, at that moment, one of the homunculus' dreams came to be reality.

Human and homunculus—an alliance never before believed could be possible.

The pair was oblivious to the group of shrouded individuals watching them from the shadows of the forest only yards behind, and silently slithered like serpents across the grass towards them.

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Review please!


	9. Taken

Chapter 7:

Taken

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_A blue-eyed phantom far before _

_Is laughing, leaping toward the sun: _

_Like lead I chase it evermore, _

_I pant and run. _

-poem 'Fata Morgana' (A Mirage) by Christina Rossetti.

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Homunculus' sharp senses twitched. Humans. No, not human…_demons_. They were foul, evil. He could smell them; rotting flesh. Feel them. The air grew icy and pricked its skin, although Edward seemed oblivious. They were coming their way, almost undetectable by sound, but he could just barely catch the sliding of their cloaks across the grass. He did not move; it was best to let the hostiles think they had the upper hand before they struck. He stiffened all the muscles in every inch of his well-built frame ready for combat, and gripped Edward's arm tightly, giving the boy a meaningful look that said: _Keep silent, danger_. Naturally, the homunculus had never fought before, but somehow the knowledge of fighting styles and techniques used in hand-to-hand melee long since faded in the depths of time flooded into the creature's brain like a long-lost memory.

He was ready.

The homunculus smelled the pungent odour of potions masking a faint layer of dried blood hanging sour in the cold air, and knew they were close.

They were upon the pair in a second, blotting out the light with their bodies and becoming one terrifying black mass. Edward didn't have time to gasp. The homunculus instantly threw himself and the boy sideways, rolled, and turned sharply to view their attackers. The black shadows shifted again, and suddenly they surrounded him, evil red eyes glowing.

The adolescent moved into an attack of his own. Leaping into a handstand and, focusing all its weight onto its hands, propelled his body into a spinning whirl, outstretched legs smashing into each foe in a whirl of dynamic, crushing blows. Vaulting itself into the air, it twisted itself upright and instantly scanned his environment, saw three enemies staggering to their feet, and proceeded to alight hard upon the earth, lunge, and deliver crippling strikes to the stragglers' vital points in a few raging, whirling seconds.

Finally, what remained of their attackers collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap on the grass.

The homunculus stood up, having hardly broken a sweat. But its face was etched with a troubled frown.

It turned to the cowering boy and knelt beside him.

'Are you injured?' it asked while inspecting Edward's arms legs, head and upper body for damage.

Edward looked up at the elder with huge, frightened amber eyes.

'Homunculus…what...'

The homunculus returned the boy's gaze, his eyes reassuring.

'I don't know, but we must—'

A dash of darkness shot upwards and smashed into his back. The creature's eyes grew wide with shock, coughing out blood as it felt a thousand cracking needles sizzle and pry every vein, artery, bone and muscle in its entire body and pull it to shreds, jabbing its core—the Philosophers Stone—with steel fingers. Pain burned at the front of its forehead and its vision blurred. Its brain, in retaliation to this sudden and catastrophic breach, told the creature's body to shut down. The creature automatically complied, its last struggling thoughts being only:

_This is...my...fault..._

The beaten homunculus crashed to the ground beside his friend, his body wracked with twitching spasms.

Edward screamed, utterly helpless in the face of this horror.

'_HOMUNCULUS!'_

'_You will come with ussss, boy!' _hissed the one who had attacked his friend, in a voice so foul, icy and dread that the boy was all at once overwhelmed with convulsions, his mind blown to pieces like a shattered mirror. _ 'The pathetic monster cannot protect you now…_'

The attackers had inexplicably recovered and now surrounded them like sinister dark phantoms. The moon was blotted out by a sudden wave of black cloud, and all light dimmed.

The shadows laughed cruelly, a sound that made the trees shudder and the earth tremble.

'_You cannot escape!'_ they cackled. '_We are alchemists, and we will eliminate you both. However,' _Their bodies shivered with mirth, pupiless red eyes blazing with hunger,_ 'first we must wring the secrets of the Philosophers Stone out of you!'_

Suddenly Edward's fear evaporated and was replaced by such a passionate fury it was as if his whole body was engulfed in flames. All this terror, pain, torture, hunting and capturing a wonderful creature, his friend, for a stone! A stone! A damned _STONE!_

The boy lunged at the attackers with a wild shriek of rage. A clawed hand drove into his temple like a lump of lead, and suddenly the air was sucked out from his body, and Edward was plunged into a cold and merciless void of darkness.

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Review please!


	10. The Wrath

Chapter 8:

The Wrath

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_My life is like a faded leaf,_

_My harvest dwindled to a husk:_

_Truly my life is void and brief_

_And tedious in the barren dusk;_

_My life is like a frozen thing,_

_No bud nor greenness can I see:_

_Yet rise it shall—-the sap of Spring;_

_O Jesus, rise in me._

-poem 'A Better Resurrection' by Christina Rossetti.

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_Golden hair swept past his vision. The smell of musk and crisp, burning elements making his eyes smart...Only darkness ruled in this otherwise senseless and sightless place._

_Immediately he knew to whom this rare sight belonged, and reached out to the figure before him. The head turned, and the terrifying hatred in those golden eyes froze his hand in mid-air. His mind tried to decipher the labyrinth of emotions in those eyes, but was lost in their eternal maze. His throat was heavy, and he endeavoured to swallow and mouth wordlessly before he could utter a word. _

_Creator and creature stared at one another, standing only a few paces apart, bound by the chains of past circumstance and bitterness. _

'_**Why...?'**__ the homunculus managed to whisper. '__**Why have you abandoned me to this fate? Why...Father?'**_

_His young Maker gazed with cold golden eyes, expression carved out of the most impenetrable glaciers._

'_**You failed,'**__ he said, at length; profound, soft voice sending shockwaves of memories pulsing through the creature's body__**. 'Failed to make everything worthwhile.'**_

_His words cut Homunculus' brain like razors, and he stared, unable to comprehend what their significance. Or, if he did, his consciousness would not be made aware of it._

_Failed? He had failed? A failure? Is that...was that it? That was the reason for the eons of torture he had endured for this man's sake? Then...then..._

'_**Then,'**__ Homunculus spoke up, voice trembling. __**'That smile...that first smile you gave me...was...**_[he could barely bring himself to say it] _**...was... false...?'**_

_Homunculus' creator was silent, and an agony hung in the stillness cruelly ripped away by the time dragging through it. _

_Homunculus, desperate as he had been for the past endless centuries to hear the answer from his creator's lips, now was almost wild with the urge to seize those wretched words and cram them back down the treacherous throat from which they had issued. But now he could do nothing but stand where he was, and wait in cold sweat for what he knew would come._

'_**...You should know the answer by now,' **__the golden-haired man replied, and turned away from his abomination, walking towards the end of darkness._

_Homunculus stared, and, gathering his wits, attempted to run after the departing man._

'_**No!' **__he__cried, reaching out and grasping for the figure slowly fading away from his sight.__** 'You can't leave me! Come back! Come—!'**_

_Black, claw-like hands shot out from behind the creature and wrapped themselves around his arms, legs, belly, neck and head, forcing him back. Homunculus screamed out and struggled and bit and thrashed against their unremitting pull, but in vain. Forcing open both eyes he saw the last particle of his father disappear forever into the black void, and screamed in agony. He had lost him again. Sensing their advantage, the hands began to writhe and ensnare every last inch of his body from the feet upwards. Homunculus felt itself being bunched up and fossilised within their dark embrace, and shrieked through hot tears of terror and pain. They got to his mouth, covered his eyes, shut off his air—he could not breathe, his lungs were going to burst, he couldn't see—No...No...Not again!..._

'_**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'**_

Homunculus jerked awake, eyes bulging from their sockets, and skin damp with icy sweat, breathing so hard it was as if its breath was forcing its way out, desperate to animate the body it so stubbornly served. He felt a hard stone floor beneath him, and saw a dismal, repulsive grey ceiling high above his head. The air reeked with bile and rot; damp and suffocating.

'H—Homunculus?' stammered a frightened little voice.

The adolescent twitched, recognising it, and turned to see Edward Green gazing wide-eyed and anxiously at him, kneeling attentively by his side.

Every fibre of his being relaxed seeing his friend's face, drowning out the terror of loneliness and despair with it. He raised himself into a sitting posture, crossing his legs and resting his moist, still-trembling palms on his thighs.

'Edward,' he breathed. Then, seeing how distressed the boy was, ruffled his hair, his expression soft. 'I'm sorry for frightening you. It was just a nightmare.'

Edward fidgeted.

'That...that sounded more than just a nightmare,' he admitted, biting his lip. 'I thought you were going to tear yourself to pieces. You were thrashing so violently and screaming so loud, I...I thought you would be murdered before my eyes...'

The boy's small frame shook with the close memory painful to his heart, and fell silent.

Homunculus gazed at the boy, unable to speak. Then he imagined the sheer terror, like a possessing spirit, plunging him into a frenzy of shuddering and distress, the likes of which he could not control, taking over his entire being until almost mad with it. The creature was well acquainted with his young friend's feelings. To demonstrate this understanding, he drew the boy to his chest and enveloped him in his willowy arms. It was the only remedy for fear—the assurance that one did not need to shoulder such feelings on their own shoulders, and could overcome it with the lent strength of others.

This universal message seemed to communicate itself to Edward, although the youthful homunculus said nothing. The boy relaxed into his embrace, and they lapsed into a mutual silence of consolation.

'_Oh, isn't that just PRECIOUS?' _a slimy voice snickered spitefully, catching the pair's uneasy attention.

Snapping his head around to glare at the black shadow standing behind the bars of their cell to the direct left of them, burning red eyes alive with a kind of lust. The homunculus's youthful face darkened in hatred, and he bared his teeth.

'_Ooh, are we angry?'_ the shadow mocked. _'That's no way to treat your hosts! I should teach you some better manners...'_

A dead hand lifted up from beneath the dark folds of its cloak, and two clawed fingers snapped together.

Instantly, Homunculus felt something shred inside him, and shrieked, collapsing to the stone floor clutching himself and howling as if his insides would burst from him. Edward, alarmed, clutched his friend's buckled, juddering form, helpless to alleviate the pain that wracked the creature's body.

'_Homunculus!' _he cried, then, glaring at the perpetrator with eyes full of hate, yelled, _'what did you DO to him?'_

The wretch giggled.

'_Only yanked his life-source a little,'_ it admitted with mock-innocence. _'But that one tug is all that's necessary to inflict the most unimaginable agony. Now, if I did __**this**__...'_

It closed his fist.

A revolting _crunch_, like a foot crushing a slug, and the homunculus's scream split the air. He thrashed and writhed, clutching his face and clawing at his chest in the madness of agony, rolling onto his back and kicking out as the pain tore its mind apart, and felt as if his brain burning up and dissolving like ash inside his skull. The walls brutally threw back the noise tenfold, until it seemed as if the entire endless chasm was screaming. Edward could do nothing but kneel and watch, tears flowing, as his friend lay exhausted, moaning and shuddering as the residues of pain ebbed away from his sense of feeling.

His tormentor simply stood and watched, a marred grin of the most repulsive ecstasy showed through the darkness of its hood, as if heaven was listening to those screams of agony the homunculus issued.

'_Now do you understand?' _it asked sweetly. _'We cannot kill you. But death is surely a blessed imagining in comparison to the torment we can inflict? One angry word, one suspicious action, and your mind and body are ours to rip apart at our disposal. You are valuable to us, homunculus, as we have said countless times before. Your life is worth more than your death, for now.'_

Slowly gathering itself, the homunculus forced itself to rise and glare at the menacing shape.

'What...what do you want me _for?_' it spat. 'I am all too aware...that you wish to use my core for your disgusting ends, but if that was the case...why have you kept me alive? Why did you not destroy me the moment I came into your possession, and take the Stone for yourselves, rather than entertain this senseless torture for all these centuries? Surely your goals are not so superficial that you so carelessly cast them away for the pleasure of inflicting misery upon my head?'

Edward listened to his companion's spirited, intelligent insight, and felt a mixture of awe, and a sadness whose origins he could not pinpoint.

Presently, the shadow's grin widened.

'_Ho ho!'_ it mused in a sour admiration. _'What a clever creature you are...I had nearly forgotten. Indeed, it would have been mad of us to have gone to such lengths to acquire our present abilities, and your wretched self, for the task of stripping you of both dignity and sanity. Indeed, absolute nonsense. Your torture had a purpose, and a grand one at that.' _

The ancient tormentor's red eyes gleamed with a maddening hunger, and Edward gripped the homunculus for comfort. Homunculus' violet eyes hardened, and he clenched his teeth.

'_You are the catalyst that will decide the result of our eons of labour and research,' _it revealed with relish. '_Your existence has been, and continues to be, the ultimate experiment that will complete the final stage of our great plan—a plan long steeped in motion...' _

'_I thought we instructed all our members not to approach or interact with the homunculus,' _a low, rumbling voice growled from elsewhere.

Homunculus jolted before the shadow could respond, eyes round with a seeping horror poisoning the defiance burning within.

'No...it cannot be...' he murmured hoarsely.

'What—what is it?' Edward asked, grasping his friend's sinewy arm. Homunculus did not answer, but held his stare into the darkness, unable to move.

'_Ah,'_ the gruff voice said in mock-joviality. _'We meet again, monster! Did you miss your master?'_

The homunculus grimaced, a bead of sweat sliding down the curve of his pale cheek.

'I missed your fat unconscious body,' he spat, his scowl contorting into a grin, 'How does it feel to have had a child best you?'

The Ringmaster growled angrily, fighting to suppress the desire to kill the creature as he had first attempted.

'_Infertile monster...' _he seethed through rotting teeth.

Homunculus' eyes glowed with rage.

'_Coites te!' _he shot back, procuring a bellow of anger from the Ringmaster and a whistle of approval from the first shadow.

'_Oh my, such a filthy mouth!'_ it giggled. '_I shall greatly enjoy having you with us, homunculus!'_

The adolescent homunculus turned on the shape, eyes flashing livid.

'_Efutue! __Damnet__te__!' _he snarled, body shaking with a rage every atom of his being both fuelled and repulsed warring chaotically within it.

The tormenting shadow laughed, a cold, throaty gurgle of a humanity long-since shredded. One blazing red eye winked, a rotted hand waved, and the figure melted into the darkness from which it was born.

The Ringmaster continued to glare with unspeakable hatred which the homunculus returned, but, against its most burning desire, also vanished from sense and sight, leaving Edward Green and Homunculus in the bliss of their own company.

Suddenly, the homunculus threw itself forward onto the stone floor, panting harshly as if having just scraped survival from the depths of the most raging hell. Edward made to comfort his friend and ease his pain, but a sudden realisation stopped him, and so he sat and waited for the creature's breathing to subside.

Homunculus noticed the young boy sitting motionless beside him, and gazed curiously up at his deathly pale features and stricken amber eyes. Sitting up, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking earnestly into his eyes with the care and genuine concern of one who had never before felt such and now thrived in the purity of those blessed feelings.

As the homunculus opened his mouth to inquire the reason for the boy's distress, a small hand slapped his away.

Homunculus stared, numb with shock.

'Edward...'

'No! You will listen first!' Edward cried out, eyes wild. 'I hate this! I hate being so small and insignificant beside you! I can't do anything! You're powerful, wise and pure, and you can fight off all our enemies! And what can I do? _Nothing!_ I'm none of those things—I'm just a weak little boy who's been unknowingly thrown into your mess! I'm not your equal, I'm not your better—I'm your _dog_, doomed to follow you around without knowing where to go or what to do without you pointing the way!' The boy was unstoppable, his rage flowing out in a fiery torrent, while the homunculus watched helplessly. 'Listening to you, and seeing what these people can do and what I'm powerless to prevent, I realised something. You must have known all of this would come to pass, and the fact that I would become a pitiful useless wallflower, but you never once bothered to tell me about it! You just settled with vague notions of "suffering" and "hardship" while knowing the full extent all along and the fact that I would not be able to endure it! God I hate this! I hate _you!'_

Homunculus gazed at the boy, panting and fuming before him, thunderstruck. Then, casting his eyes down to his knees, long clusters of black hair hiding his expression from view, he spoke, quietly, and solemnly, voice echoing softly through the hushed darkness.

'I see,' he murmured. 'So this is it. This is the hatred and anger you have kept stifled inside yourself all these years, bursting out. I have sinned against you. I was selfish—I believed that if I did dare to inform you of the true danger, you would go away and leave me forever. And how could I bear that? I, who for as long as I have breathed have longed for the companionship you provided. I, who conjured glad faces smiling and speaking to me as a friend in my mind to endure the terrible loneliness, while knowing I would never face the reality of my dreams—only to do so, centuries later. The thought of being alone again, in this alien world, deprived of the happiness you gave me, facing the death I believed imminent without support, was terrifying. Thus, I refrained from informing you of the danger you will face. And now, you have paid the price for my selfishness. I am truly and sincerely sorry,' he confessed, looking the boy straight and honestly in the face, genuine remorse aching in those bright violet orbs.

Edward was struck dumb, all the anger that had previously animated him having flowed out of him.

'But,' the homunculus continued. 'You have no right to say you accepted my companionship "unknowing" of the risks and possible dangers attached, and believing yourself acting on pure selflessness alone. You seem to have forgotten that you rescued me of your own free will, and chose to accompany me when I suggested the contrary, knowing, as I did, that those who sought me sought only myself, not you, as I had told you nothing, and had no body. You willingly complied with my request to create a vessel for myself. Your choices contributed to your current situation, although my self-interest was an equal factor. These actions and choices on your part were, too, tainted by a regard for your own desires—to you, I was the opportunity for you to escape your former life and your obnoxious mother, whom you could not bear to endure any longer. I do not doubt,' the homunculus added, 'that you did indeed feel compassion towards me, and incredible guilt in seemingly abandoning me to my fate, as I have previously realised...but can you truly say that you would have acted on those feelings, if not for the misery of your own condition?'

As he said this, the wise adolescent leaned forward, until their noses were almost touching, and their eyes locked in an unbreakable, powerful gaze.

'_Look me in the eyes and say that isn't so,_' Homunculus murmured.

Edward gazed into those boundless, perceptive, deep amethyst eyes that had seen only suffering for as long as they had dared to look. Forcing himself to delve into his very heart, Edward saw the pang of selfishness, the hurt, the misery, that had drove him to wander through the night to save the creature before him. This revelation shattered the pure being he had seen in the mirror all his days, standing as he stood, looking as he did, and suffering as he did, and a grey shadow took its place, grinning in triumph.

Humanity realised, Edward's face crumpled, slumped forward, and he sobbed into the elder's breast. He found the creature's body was icy cold, freezing his flesh, as if it had wallowed in the coldest caverns of the darkest oceans. As the homunculus placed a hand on the boy's head, and wrapped his free arm around him, drawing the boy close, Edward sobbed harder. Its skin felt so cold and sad.

Now, all of a sudden, Edward felt a pure wish soar within him and flow through his being. He would make the homunculus warm and happy again. He would stay with him until and every day following that peak of life finally graced the homunculus' existence. He didn't care what the trials.

They were friends, after all.

Smiling, Edward embraced the older being, venturing to mingle his warmth to the frozen other's, the spindly clusters of black hair tickling in his face.

Homunculus's violet snake-like eyes widened, and seemed to understand.

He smiled, and allowed Edward's human life and happiness to flow through him, nestling his face in the boy's shoulder.

'I have many flaws, you know,' he murmured, 'as you humans do.'

'I know,' the boy replied. 'I didn't before. I thought you were perfect.'

'And I you.'

'But now I see you're a mix of grey rather than white.'

'And I you,' the homunculus repeated honestly. 'The world is coloured in shades of grey, as are human hearts. Homunculi are just the same, too.'

Edward smiled.

'Yes. I'm nice, but I get angry really easily.'

'Like when I call you short?'

'Don't ruin the moment,' Edward muttered shortly.

The homunculus chuckled against the boy's skinny shoulder.

'I am very much enraged at the treatment humans have borne me,' it admitted. 'Not to mention that scum who brought me into the world and the suffering that followed it.' The creature's voice was harsh with anger. Calming down, it said: 'So much rage, and so little outlet, is a catalyst for destruction. Only you can temper it. My view of humans is also tainted with bitterness, and, if not for you, I would have doubtless continued to think thus. Misery made me a fiend.'

A pause settled.

'But because of you, Ed, I live in hope that I can change humanity's view of myself. I have realised my sins, and my flaws, and by changing myself, I can change others.'

Smiling, Edward nodded, and was in moments sound asleep, the homunculus watching over him as a guardian of everything the boy meant to it.

In this myriad chasm of darkness, a tiny glimmer of hope flickered.

.

.

.

_If I smiled at you,_

_Would you return the gesture?_

_But why would you, when you repulse at my form?_

_If I ran to you,_

_Would you allow me into your arms?_

_But why would you, when you push me away?_

_If I cried for you,_

_Would you answer my calls?_

_But why would you, when you have always ignored them?_

_If I apologised to you,_

_Would you forgive my sins?_

_But why would you, when you have always sworn hatred?_

_If I died for you,_

_Would you mourn my absence?_

_But why would you, when you have always wished me dead?_

_Eons have spoken eons of words to me,_

_And now I know every answer_

_To every question._

"_No."_

_No, _

_Eons of times over._

_And you know what?_

_**I couldn't give a damn.**_

.

.

.

* * *

><p>Please review!<p>

Note: *_Coites te_= F*ck you! in Latin

*'_Efutue! __Damnet__te__!'=_F*ck off! Damn you! in Latin.

So considerate-Homunculus swears in a different language so Edward doesn't know what he's talking about XD


	11. Every Night Valiantly Yearned

HomUnculuS Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Every Night Valiantly Yearned

.

.

.

_Parasite victum vos. _

_Ut turpis parum Monasteriense, _

_Sic letalis ut animus. _

_Vastatio, is has laniatus absentis, _

_Totus vestri sanctus pectus pectoris, _

_Quod no vos a tristis crusta _

_Of bestia odium a terribilis flamma, _

_Ut erumpo quod perussi totus. _

_Ego sentio suus morsus quoque._

.

.

.

Three long, dragging weeks, Homunculus and Edward Green were held captive in that odious dark dungeon, and three long, dragging weeks, Homunculus tirelessly wracked every ounce of knowledge stored in his ancient mind for a way to escape their prison. Analysing alchemic formulae, cryptic magic, searing runes, and the myriad ambitions of their captors. In doing this, he finally managed to decipher the art within the art keeping them locked in their foul jail. He would have laughed if he were not furious with himself for bypassing such an obvious, glaring truth.

_There were no magic, no alchemy, and no tricks, cast upon their cell. Not one._ Metaphorically, it was the magic of the psychosis that was keeping them hostage. The belief that there was such a convoluted art to combat in order to gain their freedom, when in reality there was none, was the thing that had repelled any action on the homunculus's part. Homunculus now began to devise a strategy to quit them both of this hellhole deep inside the endless workings of his mind. He did well to hide his thoughts and emotions as all these revelations whirled around his brain. Then, applying all his will, Homunculus discovered another astounding detail.

Reviving the terrible, raging sensation within his core whenever he looked into the tormenting shadow-alchemists' eyes, the homunculus discovered they were, in fact, blind. Their eyeballs had long-since rotted away from their sockets, leaving behind holes for the source of their power to gleam clear through them.

And judging by the colour...

There was no mistake. Each alchemist carried within their rank bellies the fabled Philosopher's Stone. That would leave no question how they were able to live as long as the homunculus himself had.

But then, how had they been able to sense whenever the homunculus had tried to take its own life or escape the flask it had previously inhabited, when they were unable to see? Contemplating this, Homunculus concluded that his and their cores were linked by the same souls used to bring about their wretched existences (this detail he had hidden from Edward), and thus they could instinctively sense the presence of his own Philosopher's Stone. It was the only explanation for how the alchemists had discovered Edward and himself so quickly after their escape from the Ringmaster.

If that was the case...why did they so desire the homunculus's own Stone, when they had their own? The first alchemist had informed him of some "greater plan" and that he was a mere experiment to test its limits, or lack thereof, and forge its success. They seemed to be deliberately restraining their own powers in favour for psychological control...but why? The answers to all these troubling questions, he could only imagine—but that was something to consider _after_ they had escaped...

Finally, inspiration struck the pale, sparsely-clothed creature, and his eyes widened with glee as he devised the ultimate plan to rid them both of their suffering in this place.

But how to communicate it to Edward without his shadowy keepers—invisible, but whose presence was pressing icily on his consciousness—perceiving his every word? Whispering would not bypass their inhuman sense of hearing, and their terrifyingly acute sense of movement meant even the bare movement of lips went undetected by their fetid senses...

Humming a little, Homunculus feigned idleness while pondering on this problem.

In moments, he had it.

Without a sound, the wily adolescent chipped off a loose piece of stone floor beneath his feet, and tossed it into Edward's—who was dozing across from him, leaning back cross-legged against the wall—lap.

The boy opened his eyes and his mouth to question him, but the homunculus silenced him with a look.

'Say, Ed,' he said, aloud. 'Would you like me to tell you the history of this country? I know it very well, and it will pass the time by.'

The homunculus's gleaming violet orbs gazed fixatedly on the flint now cupped in the boy's hands as he spoke, and flickered to the floor in a blink. His eyes were bright with excitement and a yearning for Edward to understand his design.

Suddenly, the memory of how he had brought the homunculus into its human vessel flashed into the boy's mind, and Edward nodded, beaming.

'Of course,' he said. 'I'd like that!'

A slow, warm smile spread across the pale creature's thin lips.

'Very well. Pay close attention.'

A short pause commenced as the fresh-faced homunculus gathered his thoughts into precise order, lined up and ready to reveal themselves to the boy for the cause so dear to both their hearts. Presently, he began, in a calm, casual pace that allowed Edward to fully process each word he uttered. Edward's stone flint was poised on the stone, as he waited in silence for the homunculus's recitation.

'Now then. This country was founded by a man named _Geomar Edingu Thalberg_—strange name, I know...don't laugh, Edward!—in 1120. It was originally a small principality named _Bernkastel_, after its Germanic roots, and its _arms_ was the bear and eagles, which signified the "_Courage_ and _Kindness_ of the people". A few hundred years passed, and Bernkastel had made little progress in terms of territory and _industry_. However, this changed when a man named _Albert_ van _Mögel_ arrived in the main city of _Grün-Odell_, and outright challenged the great leader to a duel, as was per custom in those days, to decide the position of leader that Mögel believed rightfully his. Mind, I was not present during any of these events, but instead had an innate knowledge of them, as they occurred before I was created and their _information_ stored inside the Truth from which I gained my intelligence.

'By and bye, Mögel won the duel, and so usurped power and rule over the people of Bernkastel. For the _next_ hundred years, he and his predecessors intermingled the country's native culture with that of the English, whose country they had been born and reared in, as their ancestor had emigrated there and believed it to be superior to that of Bernkastel's _Germanic_ heritage. As a result, hardly any trace of the ancient customs of this country remains—save its name, and several names of the cities, such as '_Tor'_ and '_Odell'_, which, as you can guess, was derived from the old capital. _Under_ Mögel's laws, all the country's citizens were forced to, and _still_, speak _English_, and all old customs and holidays were replaced by those he had brought from elsewhere; a tyrannical and _brutal_ destruction of a nation's traditions as I have ever known. Whether or not the old language has been _restored_ in recent years, or at least retained and practised in secret, I do not know.

'Indeed, to say that that tyrant had not systematically ruined the lives and future of this country is an _understatement_. Its military conquests were great, but the country was in constant social and economic _turmoil_, due to the civil protests against their leader's putrid regime, and thus rapidly declined. _Eventually_, there was chaos. Strife decimated the streets, and the old dictator's rule seemed about to collapse. When, one day, every single living creature, human, and animal, living within the enclosing walls of the country, perished in a single day. Nothing breathed there for centuries to come, until settlers suddenly repopulated it and took power for themselves, gradually _filling_ it up with people, until it was as if the citizens had never gone. These new leaders formed a government. No-one ever saw them in public. No one ever knew who they were. They merely existed and gave out commandments. _Outside_ the walls, no-one knew of the goings-on within the country. It was as if Bernkastel had utterly erased all ties with the world, and thus functioned independently, blindly _revering_ the leaders that so secretly and _carelessly_ ruled them. I say this, because, several _centuries _later, Bernkastel's army was ordered to invade its eastern neighbour, _Erganz_. This country was already deeply suspicious of the mysterious activities of its closed-off neighbour, but this provocation was the final insult. Bernkastel's army was driven back by forces several _times_ their size, and their country found itself _overrun_ by Erganz soldiers, and burned to the ground.'

The black-haired homunculus paused briefly for breath, and to give time for Edward, having been frantically scribbling on the course stone floor nigh-all the while he had been talking, to keep up with his words.

After eyeing the boy with an anticipant interest, the homunculus resumed.

'Following the conquest, Erganz claimed their power over the country, captured the surviving citizens, deporting them, and encouraged their own people to immigrate to their new land, having renamed it 'Erganz-_Erobern_'. However, on further inspection, they found the country's former, corrupt leaders had vanished without a trace. No one knew to where they fled. It was as if the earth had _swallowed_ them up. That is not to say that the new leaders of Erganz-Erobern _cared_. On the contrary, they were delighted by so little resistance. Immediately, they set about restoring and rebuilding the country from scratch, until it was barely recognisable from its former self. It was as it appears today. All was well, and under wise and sensible leadership, a thing the land and its people were so starved of, both prospered...But, that was to end _abruptly_, a mere hundred years prior to your birth, Edward. It did not happen as suddenly as the earlier tragic events I have mentioned, for indeed it was only a matter of time. Prior to its birth, the country's leaders had soured in their benevolence and just rule. They hoarded, scourged, _pillaged_ the land of all its precious resources for their covetous gain, as if turned demons. Eventually, the abused citizens would not endure another day of this treatment, and rose up to rebel against their leaders. A rebellion it was in name only. The army did not share their cause, and so brutally _executed_ any they fought and crushed any residues of aggression.

'The very next day, all those who had taken part in the uprising vanished, never to be seen again. All continued as if nothing had happened, and to this day, not a whisper has been uttered on the horrors of Erganz-Erobern's past.'

Finally, the maddening scraping sounds of flint on granite ceased, and Edward surveyed his work, carefully scrutinised by Homunculus, who peeked wryly from the corner of its bright violet eye.

The shadows stirred, disturbed by the long incessant noise that had tested their fiercely-taut senses to the uttermost limit.

_Geomar Edingu Thalberg, __Bernkastel, Arms, Courage_, _Kindness, Industry, Albert_ van _Mögel_, _Grün-Odell, Information, Next, Germanic, 'Tor', 'Odell', Under, Still, English, Brutal Restored, Understatement, Turmoil, Eventually, Filling, Outside, Revering, Carelessly, Erganz, Times, Overrun, Erobern, Swallowed, Cared, Abruptly, Pillaged, Executed._

The senseless words made no trace of understanding in Edward's mind, and he panicked at the thought that all was to be wasted. After a few minutes of furiously gazing at the words he had written, Edward desperately focused on the first letter of each, as if they would procure the answer to this riddle...

He gaped as the message suddenly flashed before his eyes, intermingled and connected with his thoughts. The homunculus's eyes gleamed with triumph.

'_G/E/T/B/A/C/K/I/A/M/G/O/I/N/G/T/O/U/SE/B/R/U/T/E/F/O/R/C/E/T/O/E/S/C/A/P/E.'_

Edward looked up at the grinning youthful homunculus in wonderment. This creature truly was amazing. At each significant word, the speaker had moved or acted in a manner that would draw Edward's attention, such as a rubbing of the chin as if he were collecting his memory, a quick, serious glance, a grimace of teeth, a scratch of the head, a shift of its position...

Exultant, yet suppressing it with a facade of absolute serenity, the pallid homunculus lazily lifted himself to his feet, stretching until the limbs trembled in protest, wandering aimlessly across the cell floor towards the wall.

'Ahh...enough stories for today,' he yawned. 'Such things truly drain one of energy.'

Edward nodded sympathetically, biting his lip to repress a smile.

'You should rest,' he advised, carefully wiping away the evidence of their collaboration.

The homunculus regarded his young friend and smiled.

'Yes,' he agreed. 'I think I will.'

At that moment, without any further warning, Homunculus took a single step back, focusing all its weight onto the back foot, and lunged.

There was an almighty _CRASH_ as pure granite exploded with the impact of the creature's iron fist, its entire being and bulk behind the blow.

Edward instantly leapt upon his friend's back, legs grasped securely around the elder's midsection, and thrown forwards with the force of the homunculus's inhuman speed, the wind bellowing in his ears.

A wild shriek of rage swept through the noise, and he felt the unbridled outrage of the shadow alchemists, now in pursuit. Hearing this, Homunculus increased his pace, until the world was a dizzying blend of grim shadowy elements blurred and intertwined, flurrying past them. Gripping the creature's wiry shoulders, Edward fought against the enormous pressure threatening to prise him from them, and shut his eyes against the fear and noise.

The shrieks grew louder, and Homunculus cursed under his breath, clearly on the verge of his limit. He swerved violently, and would have sent Edward tumbling if not for the firm grip it had on him. Dashing through the shadows in an unknown land, they ran for their lives.

After a while, Homunculus seemed to have extended himself far beyond his body's capabilities, advanced as it was; his pace slackened.

'Ed,' the homunculus panted, 'Brace yourself, my friend...I...I am going...to transform...'

Edward opened his mouth to question him, but at that moment jittering crimson sparks began to course down from his friend's body, twisting and darkening its body, contorting limbs, bulging larger, until he found himself bolstered up upon the back of a wild black horse, galloping furiously through the night. Grabbing its feral mane tightly, Edward pressed himself down upon the warm heaving mass of glossy black below him, ears throbbing with the din of thundering hooves, squeezing his eyes shut and praying their pursuers would give up soon.

.

.

After an hour, the shadows had not relented their hunt. Now, even when having transformed multiple times in an attempt to acquire renewed strength—from horse, to wolf, to human, and back again—the homunculus was tiring quickly. Hot jets of heavy breath clouded Edward's sight as he opened his eyes, and sensed that every movement the creature made was fraught with effort.

He felt a rotted finger jab his neck.

Screaming, Edward snapped upwards, twisted round, and smashed his frozen fist into the wretch's face, knocking it back shrieking and reeling, colliding with its comrades who scrabbled and clawed at each other in an attempt to dislodge themselves and continue pursuit, but in vain. They were too intent on individually seeking to capture their prey than work together to free themselves.

Despite his tiredness, Homunculus uttered a breathy cackle of laughter.

Rendered speechless, Edward stared at the writhing creatures left far behind, and then at the fist which had made them so, disbelieving.

'I...I did it,' he whispered breathlessly.

'Indeed!' the homunculus agreed enthusiastically, his strained voice brimming with pride. 'You are strong, you know.'

With these foreign words of comfort, Edward beamed. He had done something of use, something he had never imagined himself capable of. Now he realised, in the rush of speed and emotion, that this power had been present within him ever since he was born.

Twisting suddenly, the homunculus swiftly turned left, then right, then left again, Edward hanging on for dear life.

'H—Homunculus!' he gasped. 'What—?'

'I need to throw them off our trail!' the horse replied, turning once again. 'Their senses will be confused by the constant movement of the Stone within me, and it will gain time to seek refuge!'

They dove through the blur of light and shadow, past gnarled hands of trees threatening to tear them apart, down a steep embankment falling hundreds of feet down; the edge of the world.

Plunging through icy sheets of wind and dust, Edward saw the darkness that encapsulated this barren place, and the jagged rocks lurching beneath them, steadily rising to impale them. But the homunculus saw them too, dug his hooves deep into the granite slope, tensed all the muscles in its powerful forelegs, and sprung with all the grace of the equine race, clearing the mass of razor boulders, and slammed safely upon the dusty white expanse stretching out before them.

Edward looked back, and saw no terrifying black shapes sweeping after them. The tangled knots of terror fell away and eased, and the boy slumped forward onto the homunculus's muscular black neck, exhausted.

The homunculus himself had now slowed to an easy canter, salvaging what little strength it retained for a final dash, if needed.

'Are you alright, Ed?' he enquired, trying to turn its large head to look back.

Edward grinned tiredly.

'Yes,' he replied, breathing out. 'Just worn out.'

'I know how you feel,' the homunculus said with sympathy. 'Rest now. We're almost there.'

Relieved and drained of energy that seemed to simply seep out of his body at that moment, Edward complied, and sank into a peaceful slumber, arms draped around his friend's neck, lying across his sloping back, smiling.

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After a while, Edward awoke from his sleep and peered, confused around him. He discovered that Homunculus had reverted to its human state; unkempt, spindly black hair swaying past his pale shoulders and down its back, sparsely clad and barefoot. The boy found was being carried on the elder's back, and that there was no sound other than the youthful creature's even footsteps on the bare white ground.

Edward shifted a little, and yawned. The homunculus was silent.

The boy realised his weight must be troubling his tired friend.

'Homunculus, you can let me down now, I can walk the rest of the way,' he told him, shifting more as to ease himself from the other's grip.

The homunculus silently relented, stopped, bent down a little, and let the boy carefully drop to the ground on his feet. The elder remained standing where he was, staring sombrely into the middle distance.

Edward gazed up at him questioningly. Looking into the homunculus's deep amethyst eyes, and for the first time truly felt that it was older than he was. Centuries older. The uncontrollable, unfathomable passage of time was aching in those eyes, speaking of thoughts and knowledge Edward could never hope to scratch the surface of.

'...Envy,' it murmured.

Edward blinked.

'What?'

'That is what I believe suits me best as a name,' the homunculus elaborated, its gaze regaining some of its consciousness.

'Why? Envy is an ugly sin!'

'Precisely,' returned the creature. 'As I am ugly [he silenced Edward's protest at this comment with a look], an equally ugly name is more than appropriate. It is a sin I feel best acquainted with, and have felt its raging jaws all my life. Raw hatred born from the lack of that which gains one happiness and self-fulfilment. That which humans so carelessly flaunt in my face while I writhe in wretchedness from being deprived of them. That is envy, and envy is me. Besides,' the homunculus added, regarding Edward's shocked expression, 'Envy is, I believe, the motivation for why our pursuers lust for the Philosopher's Stone, and destroyed themselves and others in order to achieve their disgusting goals.'

Seeing the confusion in the boy's face, the homunculus relayed all it had discovered of the demonic alchemists while in their prison. Edward gaped, aghast at the monstrosity of these beings.

'But..._why_ would they go such lengths?' he stammered.

'Immortality,' the homunculus replied, expression darkening. 'The Stone is the elixir of life, and promises such to those who obtain it. The fools have not considered that it only offers a _semblance_ of immortality. But these wretches, blinded by envy of the god they see as depriving them of power and ability to fully appreciate and travel the wide world in a human lifespan, so vulnerable and insignificant (in their eyes), and yearned for what they did not have, and can never have. By denying God, they seek to take from it what they see as their right: eternal life. But, as envy does, it has consumed them utterly, and now they are not even shadows of their former selves. That hatred and envy bred a thirst for power, and that thirst for power bred _me_. My creator, I believe, was in league with these living horrors, and that my birth was instrumental to their plans from the beginning. I am not absolutely certain, but it is plausible.'

Edward stared, stunned. He had never once fathomed such wretches as these alchemists could walk the earth, or the evil that was behind his friend's birth. It then occurred to him the absurd notion that the homunculus could have easily never have existed if not for this evil. Such goodness born from such bad intentions, such suffering from such ambitions. This paradox tore apart what Edward thought was a straightforward conclusion that the homunculus had every right to exist. If all it did in this world was suffer—was there truly any meaning to live?

He bit his lip as tears formed. To think that he was wishing his friend—who had protected him and confided and comforted him—had never existed!

A hand rested on his head, and Edward looked up at the homunculus's genial expression.

'I'm sorry, I've troubled you, haven't I? I seem to have a knack at it,' he commented, chuckling despite himself.

Edward couldn't bring himself to lie and deny it, and so nodded slightly.

'Do not think that I abhor my existence. I have a friend, I have the ability to walk on my own feet, and the means to defeat my suffering, for the first time. I have never been happier, except when I was with my father...but that was a self-deceiving happiness, false to the teeth. Now I am experiencing life, for all its wonders and atrocities.' As it said this, the homunculus spread its arms out and gaze up at the sparkling twilight as if to embrace the stars. 'I've never felt more _alive_.'

Edward smiled and drew closer to the elder to communicate that he felt the same way.

The homunculus grinned down at the boy, clapped him on the back, continued on ahead.

'Come—we can't loiter here, we're almost there!' he said cheerfully, movements jumping with versatility.

'Where's "there"?' Edward questioned, jogging to his side.

The homunculus, Envy, turned to the boy, its eyes gleaming with an ancient excitement., a knowing grin stretching across its pale features.

'_The Gate_,' he replied.

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Translation of chapter poem:

_The parasite has conquered you. _

_That foul little monster,_

_So fatal to the soul. _

_Ravaging, it has ripped away_

_All your sacred innards_

_And left you a sad shell_

_Of instinct and hatred; a dreadful combustion_

_To erupt and consume all._

_I feel its bite too._

_._

_._

_._

Review please! Wow, this was a really trying chapter! Didn't think I'd get it done—the hardest part was finding the words needed for Envy's long 'escape message' speech, and sorting out the depth of the plot ^^; Sorry for taking so long! Hope it all makes sense and ties together nicely...(Don't worry, all is not revealed just yet!)


	12. The Eye of the Gate

Chapter 12: Eye of the Gate

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_A million hands reached out,  
>To pull me into their eyes.<br>A million eyes looked out  
>To stare me into their teeth.<br>A million teeth gnashed out  
>To devour me into their darkness.<em>

Darkness.

The only beyond for me.

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'"The Gate"?' young Edward Green repeated. 'What's that?'

The homunculus Envy regarded the boy with a grim expression of one with the knowledge of something whose existence one could not deny, making the thing ever more terrible in its unavoidable omnipotence.

'Normally, it is the doorway to the afterlife,' he explained, brow furrowing. 'The doorway to the domain of the being you humans revere as "God". However, these alchemists, having sought to defy it, have harnessed the portal for their own selfish means; as a path from this world to ours.'

Edward swallowed. The homunculus's dread weighed on his own spirits, and his fear was his own.

'How do you know it's here?' the boy whispered, instinctively looking about, as if to suddenly spot the ominous Gate looming before him in all its unhallowed evil.

Envy's eyes narrowed, and his teeth gritted in agitation.

'I feel it,' he muttered darkly. 'Always; that probing, unsettling pressure swirling at the back of my subconscious, ever-whispering ill-tidings to me. I feel its presence all the more severely now as I ever have. The closeness of the unknown is threatening to overwhelm me...'

He faltered, and lapsed into a stiff, unnerved silence. Edward watched him, troubled by the fear so evidently creasing the elder being's youthful features, coursing through his body to make his limbs tremble, and force beads of sweat to dampen his pale brow, and to clench his sharp teeth.

What was this dreadful thing, to cause an ancient being, knowledgeable and seemingly fearless of all things, so terrified? To its very core, the homunculus cowered from the raw, unbridled frenzy of terror that lurked like some foul demon, ravaging all rationality from the creature's thoughts and drowning it in memories that had spawned it.

Envy's deepest fears—the likes of which Edward could not even begin to fathom. He was not even fully aware of his own, much less that of a centuries old homunculus in human form.

'H-Homunculus...'

'Envy,' the youth corrected, smirking wryly.

'E-Envy,' the boy conceded, swallowing. 'How...how will we find it?'

The lean homunculus suddenly stopped in his tracks, and breathed a heavy sigh.

'What's the matter?' Edward cried incredulously, shocked that the other could be annoyed by such an innocent question.

'Oh, nothing, Ed,' Envy assured, as if rising out of deep contemplation, smiling awkwardly, 'I am merely preparing to summon the Gate. It is the only way to escape this place, and the alchemists no doubt use the same method as I shall shortly. I am the only being who can inherently do so—those lowlifes have merely learnt and abused the art over hundreds of years. Now...stand back, please.'

Edward was all too obliged to obey, and took several paces backwards, watching the homunculus with amber eyes wide.

Presently, Envy raised his head into the swollen black heavens, and shouted loud and clear the incantation to summon the doors to Nowhere:

_'O porta, magna regni Dei, ora pro nobis aperi tenebris inde perducat nos ad patriam nostram! I, cuius primogenita tua limina fluit per sanguinem meum, vobis huc! TEMPLUM!'_

As his final words resonated like the booms of a mighty earthquake, a chasm in the air split open, twisted, and suddenly the world was warping in ghastly swirls and smears, distorting horribly as the very essence of the surrounding landscape was gradually sucked into itself, and the shadows with it.

Suddenly, everything was white.

An ominous, looming slab of granite towered over them. This was it.

The Gate.

Silently, the doors swung open, and, all at once, a giant, glaring, maddening grey eye burst wide amidst the darkness, and thin tendrils, like impish hands, snapped out to grasp and pull. They quickly wrapped themselves around the limbs of Envy and Edward, and began to drag them inside the jaws of the Gate.

'Don't struggle!' Envy warned. 'They will not take kindly to it!'

In seconds, the unremitting pull of the arms had drawn them into the centre of the eye, now so huge it blocked out everything and became their eye's whole sight—that pitiless, dark, horrifying gaze that looked but did not see, and hungered for the sinners it would eat alive.

A mournful whine shuddered through their eardrums as the doors slowly closed upon them, shutting out the last light with an almighty SLAM that shook their very cores.

Now there was only darkness, and silence; the hands pulling them ever forward into its void. Blackness eternal, and endless pit, swallowing them up.

All of a sudden, Envy began to scream, in the most ghastly, piercing noise Edward had ever heard, thrashing and twisting and clawing at his eyes, but screaming all the more loudly as he realised, eyes or no eyes, the darkness would prevail. Tears streamed, his mouth a gaping hole emitting the most terrifying shrieks as ever emitted from a living creature, wracking his entire body in violent spasms as he was dragged helplessly into the hell it so horribly recognised.

'OH GOD GOD GOD, NO!' Envy howled through his screams. 'OH GOD NOT AGAIN, _PLEASE NOT AGAIN! PLEASE, NO!_'

Edward, terrified that any moment the homunculus would descend completely and utterly into madness and never return, fought to get to his side. Using every fathom of strength in his struggling limbs, the boy threw himself to one side and wrenched his left arm free, all at once bringing his clenched fist colliding with the half-crazed homunculus's jaw. The impact sent Envy's neck snapping sideways, eyes bulging wide from the shock of the blow. Another black tendril re-captured Edward's arm, and the boy glared at his friend, amber eyes burning.

Slowly, Envy turned his head to stare, bewildered, at the boy.

'For God's sake _control yourself!_' Edward yelled. 'You can't let this darkness ruin your dreams! I'm here, I'm with you, so calm down and concentrate on getting out of here!'

Envy was silent for several moments. It seemed to have never occurred to the creature that he had been anything other than utterly alone in his turmoil, alone to struggle against what he saw as inevitable destruction. Seeing his friend, and acknowledging fully his words, rationality gleamed from Envy's eyes. He nodded.

'You're right,' he conceded. 'Let's go.'

Grasping each-other's hands firmly, they plunged into the darkness.

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A white flash ripped away the black oblivion, and there was an almighty collision, and then nothing.

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Consciousness rose from the abyss of Edward's mind, and he drowsily opened his eyes. Cool air fanned his face, and he discovered that his soft bed was grass. Raising himself up, the boy saw he was situated on a grassy embankment—the same one on which they had been attacked by the alchemists. The air was clear and blue, and raised Edward's spirits to the highest heaven.

They were free, at last.

Looking further ahead, he saw a large city from which colossal chimneys sprouted black smoke that intermingled horribly with the sky, complete with cathedral, clock-tower and all, and bustling with life that rose from the warm scents rising from it.

A mutter aroused his sense of reality, and Edward turned to his right to see Envy standing tall beside him, overlooking the city with a deep, troubled expression. It appeared that the homunculus had recovered itself sufficiently to analyse their surroundings, although Edward detected a faint trembling of residue terror animating the creature's form.

'What's the matter?' he questioned.

The homunculus paused.

'I recognise this as the place in which we were captured, but I do not remember this city being here at all,' he replied gravely.

Edward laughed.

'Well, it was pitch darkness when we arrived here, Envy; we most likely didn't see it. I do remember seeing a dark mass at that time, so this city must be it!' he explained, elated with his conclusion.

Envy did not look satisfied, but he did not pursue the issue. Instead, he allowed Edward to get to his feet before jovially inviting him down into the city.

'But won't you be noticed?' Edward asked worriedly.

Envy grinned widely.

'Oh, we don't have to worry about _that_,' he said—and with those words, the homunculus's body was overwhelmed by a ripple of crimson sparks that descended from head to toe. As it went, hair colour changed, as did the muscle tone, clothes, shape and features.

In moments, a completely different young man stood before Edward.

A young man clad in full-skirted knee-length dark violet coat, knee breeches, a vest, a linen shirt with frills and linen underdrawers. The lower legs were much emphasized by the white silk stockings and black leather shoes with stacked heels of low height. The whole ensemble was topped by a shoulder-length full-bottomed wig and a tricorne (three-cornered) hat with an upturned brim. The homunculus' overall body shape was only a little more muscular to fit his clothes and appear more physically adept than his original mass admitted. His face was youthful as ever, but more sharply defined. Even his eyes were changed; a dark blue instead of dark violet. He grinned, and showed perfect human teeth.

Edward stared in utter disbelief at so drastic a transformation.

Then he doubled over laughing, even harder with Envy's expression of pure indignation.

'What are you laughing at?' the wigged creature cried, outraged. Only his voice was unchanged. 'This is a respectable costume of the age!'

'I know!' Edward spluttered in response, overcome with giggles, 'but you look ridiculous!'

'Be that as it may,' the homunculus said hotly, 'I will remain in this form unless what we see dictates otherwise. For goodness' sake stop laughing Edward!' he almost shouted, amused despite himself at the boy's laughter, grinning helplessly as his friend calmed down and wiped his eyes.

'Well then...let's go!' Edward cried gleefully, racing down the embankment towards the city. Sensing no presence beside him, he stopped half way and turned round.

The homunculus was slowly, albeit awkwardly, ambling his way downwards.

'A gentleman never rushes!' he proclaimed proudly, before tripping over his own heels and falling flat on his face in the grass. Trying to stagger to his feet, Envy fell over again and proceeded to roll helplessly down the short embankment, crashing into Edward and sending them both tumbling to the bottom in a heap, roaring with laughter.

Untangling themselves, Envy brushed the grass and flowers from his garments till they were spotless again, wiping his eyes.

'Ah, dear,' he murmured, 'I can barely remember the time when I laughed like this.'

Edward smiled sympathetically and helped them both to their feet.

'Are you alright walking in those shoes?' the boy questioned when the homunculus was able to stand, pointing to the heeled objects in question.

Envy grinned bashfully.

'Truthfully, no. They are ankle-sprains waiting to happen, and I can barely keep myself upright. But,' he added, chuckling, 'as they say, and no doubt will always say: "One must suffer to acquire beauty."'

Edward laughed and walked towards the edge of the gently lapping river.

'I'll go first,' he said, before promptly leaping over to the other side.

Envy grimaced comically. Even this relatively thin affair was difficult in the shoes he now wore. The prospect of falling in was wholly undesirable.

This conclusion made, he went on to take off his shoes and throw them to Edward on the other side, before running and vaulting over the river, landing safely on the other side.

Putting them back on, Envy and Edward gaily made their way towards the unknown city.

_'Honestly, the person who invented this damned shoes should be murdered...'_

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In no time, they had found an alleyway to hide in and observe the city streets from the inside.

What they saw was in no way, shape, or form resembled what they had unconditionally expected. Bustling streets, yes...the coats, top-hats, boots, much shortened natural hair in the case of men; remarkably slim yet respectable dresses for the ladies, horses and carts lining and overcrowding the streets and adding to the din as they clopped this way and that as people milled in front and around them at every given opportunity, chattering all the way, were not part of the expectations.

They both gaped, and Envy retreated further into the alleyway so as to disguise his transformation into a gentleman he had just observed, albeit with cropped black hair and sharper, paler features so as to distinguish himself to Edward. He was no clad in a decent black waistcoat with tails, white vest, breeches, boots, and his own top hat.

This time Edward did not laugh. He was too stunned.

'Envy...' he whispered, pale as death. 'What...where are we? This is...Where is this?'

The homunculus at his side swallowed.

'I saw a sign bearing the name "Geldberg". This must be it...'

'But I've never heard of this place in my life!' Edward cried, his voice rising with panic.

'Nor I, for what my word is worth,' Envy admitted, frowning. 'Damn. What is this? What did that bastard do this time?'

Edward gazed at the tall young man.

'Who do you mean?'

'The one you humans call "God",' the homunculus replied bitterly. 'The being who is the One, All, World, Universe, Time, Space, Everything and Everyone...all at the same time.'

Edward gasped.

'You mean...?'

'Yes. God has sent us here. And...if I am not mistaken... at least a hundred years after our time. We are sometime in the eighteen-hundreds—although in the exact same area we had left behind. Time has gone on without us, and we are remnants of time gone past.'

'Then what do we do?' the boy murmured. 'What do we do now?'

Envy grasped Edward's shoulders and looked him firmly in the eyes.

'First, we must calm down. Panicking will only lead to mistakes and irrationality. Calm down. Take deep breaths [the homunculus paused here in order for Edward to do so] and explore this place and find out a little more about it, and its history—only then can I perhaps make sense of why we were taken here in the first place. Once we do that, we can discover a way out.'

Edward took a deep breath, relaxed all his muscles, and nodded.

Envy smiled.

'Good lad. Well then, let us go!'

Taking the boy's hand, the top-hat homunculus and the boy ventured into the chaos of Goldberg's streets, unknowing of what they would find in them.

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In another realm entirely alien to any that had come before, an entirely white space in which an outline of a human form; featureless aside from an unsettling grinning mouth, sat expectantly.

_Ke ke ke! Things are moving quickly! Oh my, how much fun!..._the shape giggled, before erasing all traces of itself altogether as it silently merged with the white void.

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Envy's incantation to open the Gate:

_O gate, portal to God's realm, open your dark jaws before us and bring us to our homeland hence! I, whose birthright to your doors flows through my blood, command you hither! OPEN!_

* * *

><p><em>So, so sorry for the long wait! T_T I just could not seem to get into my 'zone' of coming up with good words to describe everything and generally get the plot going...But now I've sorted out this one and the plots for the next chapters, I'm ready to churn out more much sooner! Promise!<em>


	13. Chasing Hope's Shadow

Chapter 11: Chasing Hope's Shadow

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_I hang my harp upon a tree, _

_A weeping willow in a lake; _

_I hang my silenced harp there, wrung and snapt _

_For a dream's sake._

-'_Mirage',_ by Christina Rossetti

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It was strange. Wondrous strange. Huddled together, they squeezed and pushed their way through the massing crowds of gentleman, ladies, children, milkman, merchants, beggars, chimney-sweeps, and every individual of every kind of trade either Envy or Edward Green could think of. The noise was intolerable for both for much the same but varying extremities of reasons: Envy's world had been virtually silent save its broken heartbeat for as long as he could remember, and Edward hailed from a tiny village in which the shouting of his mother was the loudest pitch his small ears were bombarded with.

This was too much to bear. Screeching women, shouting gentleman, merchants bellowing their prices and goods to chattering passers-by, beggars pleading for spare pennies, children shrieking with glee as they played about the legs of the adults bustling round them, the monstrous din of cart-horses hooves drumming endlessly upon the shoddy cobblestone, accompanied by the sharp crack of the whip wielded by their masters, and the endless turn of the wheels trundling through the streets to lay waste to the continuous cycle of noise that plagued the newcomer's ears.

Finally, the weary homunculus could endure it no longer. Finding an alleyway, he pulled both himself and Edward into it, dashing down its dreary interior as if one escaping from a murderous mob.

Turning corners several times, Envy stopped when he deemed it sufficiently far enough as to drown the noise of the street away into the solace of reasonable silence.

Sighing hugely, he lent against the wall behind his form and slid down into a crouch, exhausted. Edward followed suit, his mind reeling with the whirl of noise and movement that had assaulted his senses only moments before.

"Perhaps we should leave the investigation of our whereabouts for another day," the homunculus panted. "Or else somewhere where it is less hazardously noisy.."

Edward laughed despite his tiredness, and leaned against the elder's arm for support as well as to give it.

"Good idea," he agreed. "But, it's strange..."

The boy looked curiously into the distance, as if pondering on a subconscious sensation that had only just made itself known to his young mind.

Envy regarded his friend curiously.

"What is it, Ed?" He had never seen such deep thoughtfulness in the boy before. It was as if the human was trying to tap into the secrets the soul hid, a thing most humans did not even for a moment consider to do. The ancient creature smiled as it mused on how extraordinary this human boy was.

Edward's sandy-brown eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he tried to formulate his thoughts.

"Well...it seems...It's as if..."

"Go on," the homunculus encouraged, nudging the boy slightly.

"Well..."

"Stop saying that."

"W—I mean...I feel as if...I feel..._comfortable _here," Edward concluded, satisfied with his choice of words. When Envy blinked, astonished at this unexpected response, the boy elaborated: "It's like... coming back to a place I left for a long time...Foreign, yet...not."

He saw the homunculus staring fixatedly at him, and chuckled, embarrassed.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Envy blinked its violet eyes, pupils back to their original reptilian shape. Being out of prying eyes, the homunculus deemed it safe to show at least some semblance of his original appearance.

"Oh no," he said, with a grim tone and expression that made Edward stare worriedly. "I think I understand...and if my mind serves me well...you are—"

"_Get 'em lads!"_

Suddenly five dark-clad thugs armed with blunt objects unidentifiable in the gloom raced towards them.

Envy could have laughed at the stupidity of these humans; charging a creature far superior in terms of fighting capabilities, hopelessly oblivious of their all-too-inevitable fate. He very well could have laughed. However, while he himself was perfectly capable of defending and crushing these vagabonds, Edward was anything but. The boy was vulnerable, and Envy knew that keeping an eye on his friend during a fight commencing in such a compact space would be nigh impossible. He needed to incapacitate these men quickly.

With that in mind, the homunculus attacked.

Diving in to the thick of the onslaught, Envy ducked low and unleashed a flurry of blows to the vital areas of the men, who in moments lay sprawled and unconscious at his feet.

"E-Envy!"

The homunculus whirled around and saw to his horror that three accomplices had intercepted them from behind, and had seized the boy in their smothering arms.

Just as Envy made to punish the kidnappers, one held a pistol to the boy's head.

The homunculus skidded to an abrupt halt, horrified. The abductors grinned hideously, roughshod and sinister in their shabby clothing, which hung loose and filthy on their gaunt bodies.

"Envy, eh?" sneered the one whose weapon was poised to blow the boy's brains clean out. "Fancy name, that. You wouldn't mind us takin' yer little friend here, wouldja? See, we've b'n needin' a new recruit..."

Envy clenched his teeth. Of course. An organised criminal band of thugs—that naturally explained the excess numbers he had not expected. The homunculus knew a direct assault would be foolhardy, and destroy the life he had fought to preserve. That said, if he allowed the thugs to make away with his friend, the chances of finding Edward against amidst this foreign land would be nigh-impossible, and even if he succeeded, who knows what kind of damage they could have done to the boy in that time. He needed a method to distract the potential kidnappers. But what?

Wriggling helplessly, Edward's terrified amber orbs fixed on the homunculus's cobalt ones.

Something snapped within Envy, a human thing that he had thus far clung to. Those eyes looked as his used to look, gazing piteously out of his glass prison at the boy who was his only saviour.

And Edward had been more than true to his expectations. Envy would do the same.

Now.

"Before you go," he spoke up, smiling sweetly. "Please allow me to show you something interesting."

The thugs' faces contorted in confusion, but before they could speak, Envy executed his plan. Crimson sparks burned through the gloom, spat and hissed, engulfing the creature's body once again, and in moments, Envy had revealed his pale, androgynous, outrageous human form.

He grinned, baring all his sharp, feral teeth.

The men shouted out in their horror as it became clear that this was no hallucination, recoiling, so taken by surprise they would barely find it in their power to either move or articulate sound. Their ringleader dropped his weapon, and it sounded on the cobblestone with a metallic clatter.

Envy charged, and two of the thugs threw themselves backwards in their frenzy to get away from this monster, screaming like children. The leader, while having released his grip from the boy, dived for his pistol, seized it, and raised it to Edward's head...

The shot never sounded. The trigger was never pulled by the murderous finger.

The would-be murderer, sprawled across the floor in his effort to reach the weapon, hand outstretched, stared down at his torso.

A thick, writhing purplish mass had imbedded itself deep inside his chest, and now drove itself clean through his body with a nauseating crunching sound. Forcing his blurring sight to look across the ugly spear, he saw that it had extended from the homunculus's own left arm.

Envy gazed evenly back at him, his eyes void of regret. They were eyes of one who saw a brighter future for the death of their victim.

Blood burbled from the fiend's mouth, his eyes lost their life, and he slumped down onto the filthy cobblestones—dead.

Edward could barely believe his eyes. Breathing shallowly, expression stricken with terror, he ran to the homunculus and threw his arms around him.

Envy was astonished, and hastily withdrew his arm from the dead man, and the long, squirming mass retracted and became a normal arm in instants. But the blood on it remained. Both knew exactly what had happened in those few horrifying moments. The overwhelming reality of the bloody conclusion was too unmistakably horrible and accusing to deny.

The boy was shaking uncontrollably against his body, and the homunculus enfolded Edward into his arms to comfort him.

A terrified yelp overhead made them both look up, and saw a white-faced, raggedy young woman gazing down at the scene from her window, her house being adjacent to the alleyway. Her dark eyes were bulging, hands clamped over her mouth. Before Envy could calm her, the woman raced from the window, screaming at the top of her lungs, "_Murder, murder! Police, police!"_

Now there was no time to waste. They had to get as far away from this place. There was no telling how much their female witness had seen; perhaps she had seen even Envy's transformation and extraordinary killing method. If she told this to the courts, it was possible that they would believe her words. Several had done so a hundred years ago—now should be no different, in panicked Envy's mind, and he was not willing to take the risk.

Seizing a dazed Edward by the arm, hastily reverting back to his gentlemanly human form, Envy raced back from whence they had come, zigzagging furiously through the dreary passageways until they burst into the chaos and confusion of the bustling main street, burying themselves in the masses of people so as to throw off whatever potential pursuer they had on their trail.

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An hour later, they had discovered and inhabited an abandoned dwelling on the outskirts of the city, having been evacuated in the event of a devastating fire. Its frame, supported by stone, was still stable enough to remain in without concern for their welfare, and now the two sat on the soot-covered floor, staring at anything but each-other, and in total silence. The air smelt distinctly of burnt and rotted wood.

Edward could not comprehend the agonising sensation of so many conflicting emotions, now at war within his small body. At the same time, he could focus on nothing but this hellish purgatory of raw feeling. The terror of having faced certain abduction or death, terror of the creature who had just killed in front of him, intense relief of being free from harm, and a strange disgust that he was happy being with a creature with blood on his hands.

Blood that now stained his own clothes as Envy put his arms around him, pulling him close.

Then, Edward vocalised what neither of them could bring himself to utter, face resting against the other's shoulder.

"Envy," he whispered. "You murdered that man."

"I know," the creature murmured hollowly in his ear, making him twitch. "I always knew it would come to this. Ever since the day I was locked away in the darkness, I knew I would take a life. It was, I believe, what I was created to do."

Edward trembled, and Envy tightened his grip.

"You know I had to do it, don't you?" the homunculus asked,

"Y...yes," Edward replied, voice jittering. "B-but..."

"I know," Envy soothed, rubbing the boy's back comfortingly with his bloodless right hand. "I know."

The ground suddenly exploded from beneath them, and monstrous slabs of earth lashed out and ensnared them in an instant, tightening so as to barely allow breath to escape from their lungs to cry out.

Envy attempted to break out of his solid bonds, but found himself unable. The metre-wide thickness and rigid components of the mass was too much for him to break apart.

At the threshold, a group of men in smart white suits with black crosses adorning their sleeves and shoulders, gazed up at their captives with cold, unreadable expressions.

"Strangers, you will come with us. You have been arrested on suspicion of murder, your young friend as a possible accomplice. You have the right to remain silent, comply with our commands, and appear before his Honourable Magistrate to partake in the fair trial that is your due," their black-haired leader, announced smoothly and without emotion, reciting his lines as a master recites his scriptures.

Envy scowled at them.

"And what if we refuse?" he spat, ignoring Edward's look of sheer terror. How dare these humans try to order him around! The arrogance, the pure arrogance of it! They were just like the Ringmaster. Just like those disgusting alchemists. If only they knew how far below him they were...

A cold smile crossed the man's lips.

"Then we crush the life out of the both of you right this moment," he replied, without even a hint of reluctance.

Envy knew he had been bested, and his blood raged at the notion. Humiliating, oh how humiliating! Caught and forced into submission by alchemists! The homunculus almost howled with frustration, but bit his tongue hard to stop himself.

Averting his gaze to the floor, Envy managed to calm his boiling anger enough to appease their captors.

"Very well, we shall go with you," Envy conceded, his expression twisted in repulsion.

The leader of the city's police nodded once in satisfaction, motioned to his men. They dropped down in an instant, slapped their hands upon the charred earth, sparks bursting forth as the vast coils of rock dwindled and shrunk, lowering the two captives to the ground and regressed into formidable handcuffs and leg-irons that covered their entire fists and ankles in solid rock elements.

"Come," the man said, bidding them to come amongst them so as to form a single procession, "The court awaits you. Remember, one false move, and we shall use our alchemy to crush your hands and feet to bits."

Envy began to glower, but then gave up. Anger would solve nothing now. Composure was the key to getting out of this whole mess. There was still hope, still ways to escape the wrath of powerful humans who, whether he liked to admit it or not, held the power to render his existence in this time hell.

He silently stepped forward, closely followed by Edward, and allowed their cold captor to pursue from behind them. In front, the man's subordinates led the way. Envy felt the man's steel gaze cutting through him, and felt a pang of fear. Fear that came from doubt. If this was the nature of the law enforcers, how could that of the punisher of the law's violation be any different?

Craning his neck around to look down at his young friend, Envy's spirits sank to see the boy was not looking at him.

Single file, each of them moved out of the blackened dwelling and into the sullen hue of the evening light, casting faint, ghostly shadows across the even stones of the path stretching before them. The shadows moved solemnly in time with their corporeal counterparts, sometimes merging with one another, and at times it was difficult to distinguish which was which.

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Deep within the void, God snickered in anticipation.

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><p><strong>Everyone, so so sorry yet again for the long wait! T_T Life's caught up with me pretty badly up until now, but now I'm out of it, expect the next chap soon-I PROMISE!<strong>


	14. All seeing, All knowing

Chapter 12: All-seeing, All-knowing.

**NOTE: Envy will be referred to as 'it' from now on. I will be going back and changing all the masculine pronouns in the previous chapters as well. I thought it would be best to do so because it would better differentiate Envy from Edward and the human race as a whole; an alien in an alien world. **

**Trying to make it more human, as I have done in all the prior chapters, by referring to it in strict gender terms would do disservice to the inspiring struggle to be accepted in a world where every ounce of its being defies the socially constructed norms of human society, gender being just one of them. This is also one of the minor changes I will be making to this fic. For the rest, please check out the description. So, without further ado, enjoy the late chapter twelve! -frostysnowman94.**

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It was twilight in the city of Geldberg, and only the rhythmic steps of the procession of captors and captives kept silence at bay. The purplish hue of the horizon shed little light into the main street, through which they walked, once so chaotic with life, now gravely void of its former vigour. To compensate, the leader of the silent procession held up a candle-lit lantern above its head (which he had, unseen by Envy during their heated exchange in the abandoned house, been carrying about his person since they had met). Envy smiled to itself. Things hadn't much changed in these hundred years, it seemed.

A great weight was dragging the creature's spirits despite its confidence in its ability to save itself and young Edward from the wrath of the Law, and this was the simple yet profoundly hurtful fact that the entire journey, nor since the incident in the alleyway, the boy had not acknowledged it, or spoke to him. Yes, Envy just killed a man, but it had done so on Edward's behalf. Surely its friend could understand that? Surely it would not make its friend hate it, repulse it? The very thought that this was even slightly true tore a hole in the creature's chest, pouring forth not blood but the most maddening, aching grief which haunted it now, a ghost from the dark days of its creator's sudden abandonment of it all those hundreds of years ago.

In a desperate attempt to briefly push away this horrible emptiness, Envy now dwelled on the fact that it had killed a human being. It was too vivid, too horrible an event to cast aside. It had taken a life, and no matter how often it had wished to do so while in the flask, or how often it had believed itself fated to do so, the homunculus could not remove the sensation of a cold, draining horror. The enormity of the deed, the utmost crime in the eyes of Man and his divine creator (supposedly, presuming that God truly cared, which Envy doubted), and Envy had committed it. He had used his power to strip clean a living being of its soul and left its lifeless husk dead and cold in the alleyway. No matter the ends, the means through which it had achieved them did not change, and now shouted out in bloody accusing red letters forming in its mind's eye: MURDERER.

Squeezing its eyes shut and grimacing in mental agony, biting back a heavy groan, Envy forced itself to focus on its surroundings upon opening them.

Doing so, the homunculus immediately noticed that there was not a soul about. This struck it as very odd. Yes, it was evening now, but not even the beggars, who had earlier been confined to the street's outskirts, were present in their places, sleeping or otherwise. Where had they gone? What were they avoiding?

Spurred by this nagging curiosity, Envy found reason to voice it.

"Where is everyone?"

Half-expecting no response, the homunculus was mildly surprised to hear the lead alchemist behind Edward reply.

"You're not from here, then?" its captor remarked. "The outside is off-limits past eight o'clock. Everyone, even the lowliest beggar, is required to find some shelter. Those who have no accommodation must seek refuge outside the city, under trees and such."

Envy looked turned its head sideways to look back at the man, human azure left eye intrigued. It wanted to pursue the issue, but was still in a state of great unease within itself and its current predicament, and did not trust its mind to press any given subject as of yet. Best to wait and discover in due course.

"You are awfully willing to disclose information to me," the homunculus remarked, with a tone settling somewhere in-between suspicion and admiration

The raven-haired alchemist, whose eyes Envy now clearly recognised were of two different colours—the left a metallic bronze, the other a wintery grey, regarded it calmly. But this particular human stood out in the ancient homunculus' mind for more than just his unusual appearance. His aura, the way he presented himself, was unlike any other he had encountered so far. It was sharp, intelligent, and with an individuality that transcended the bonds of superficial authority of greater powers. Very interesting, indeed.

The man looked back as his captive evenly and without arrogance.

"Well, your question is a perfectly innocent one, whether or not you yourself are. Answering it would not jeopardize any aspect of your trial or disclose any information relating to it," he replied honestly, his voice retaining the cool edge of one who held authority over the proceedings but was unwilling to flaunt this unspoken knowledge.

"I thought you said I had to remain silent," the homunculus countered, one eye bright with a youthful rebelliousness.

"Rules can be bent," the alchemist stated, lips curling.

Envy smirked. Then, taking a deep breath, he said something, with solemn conviction, of cunning, that none present ever expected him to relate.

"I do not deny that I am guilty of the crime for which I am charged," he said, shocking his captors so utterly that they stopped in their tracks and turned to stare at the gentleman, aghast. Edward stared up at the homunculus in human form in utter horror. Did he have a death-wish?

Even their leader was shaken.

"You admit you murdered that man in Nochte Bahn [1] of District Thirty-Six?" he pressed, unable to believe his ears. No charged man or woman or even the youngest child had ever so easily and so speedily admitted their guilt in the city's criminal history.

"If you are referring to the man who lies dead near a fallen revolver..." Envy said, looking at the man for confirmation, who nodded.

"Yes, I killed him," the homunculus confessed, in a tone grim with the remembrance of the deed. "But I am confident I can safely attribute my actions to a just cause. I killed him not out of malice, but of defence of my friend's well-being, put mildly," he went on, unperturbed.

There was a heavy silence, riddled with disbelief at the creature that stood amongst them, emboldened by a grim dignity that most murderers recoiled from.

"...Explain," the alchemist's leader bade finally.

His colleagues were immediately in uproar.

"What? Only the Honourable Magistrate and members of the jury have the right to hear what a convict has to say!", "You will jeopardize the trial!", "Have you lost your _mind?"_

Their commander was deaf to their cries, and instead said, calmly;

"There is no law stating that convicts cannot confess and explain away their crimes—we are confined within the prison nearby to guard the inmates, and so have no contact with jury or magistrate. This man may say what he likes."

Envy suppressed a grin. As painfully intriguing this human and all his aloof persistence was to the ancient being, it had to remind itself that, all too often, it was individuals such as these that were the most dangerous.

First, there was a matter Envy wanted to resolve.

"Alchemists all, I presume?"

They all nodded the affirmative, and the homunculus felt a chill. Instantly Envy was repulsed at itself for feeling thus. Frustration boiled in its innards. As powerful and as bold as it had become, it was still...

"And...what is your name, then, alchemist?" Envy questioned, forcing itself to regain its composure and soften the tremors jittering down its body, directing its question at the heterochromiac alchemist captain.

The other man paused for a moment before answering.

"...Elias Amsel," he replied.

Envy nodded, slowly.

"I see."

"And yours?"

The disguised homunculus answered without batting an eyelid, dark orbs gleaming:

"Hohenheim," it said. "Von Hohenheim."

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An hour later, Envy having explained the details of the murder, they had arrived. Along the way, Envy had begun to wonder why its captors had not brought a carriage for the journey, and instead insisted on such a long walk. There were no people around to humilate it and Edward with, if that was their intention, which Envy dismissed as an insult to the captian's obvious intelligence.

What were they planning?

As they arrived at the looming giant that was the court house, Envy consoled itself with the knowledge that it had Edward to support, and so it had to calm down for his sake as well as its own. A dreadful weight dropped in its stomach as it realised that, while this was a given, the homunculus could not be certain he had his friend supporting him as well.

Envy turned its head and looked down at the boy, desperately imploring him to meet his gaze and understand.

Edward remained staring at the ground.

It was dark now, yet all the lanterns aligning the streets were out. Only the lead alchemist with lantern in hand made sure they were not walking blind. The air was cool and pleasant, and soothed Envy's anxieties somewhat. It had been a tiny flask amidst silence and blackness all its life up until now, and it knew only what its creator had told it in those brief few months together (Envy thanked his lucky stars it had been inquisitive and learnt much in that period), as well as its innate knowledge of the unknown wired in its ancient mind, imbedded from its origins—the place from whence it had been taken and brought to being on earth, a place even Envy himself did not know the whereabouts of.

Standing before the gigantic iron doors, dyed purest of black by the night, Envy was reminded horribly of the darkness of the Gate. Its pitiless grey eye flashed before its eyes and it recoiled, goose-bumps and cold sweat began to form on its body. Elias, unseen, noted this with interest.

The alchemist with the lantern stepped forward suddenly, and knocked thrice on the surface of the doors. The sound rang out dully in the night.

After a few moments, they opened with a long, grinding creak, as if having awaited them.

Stepping inside, meeting silence and showing it grave discourtesy with their loud footsteps. Lights overhead in the form of a single grand chandelier, and the room in all its detail and clarity burst before their eyes. The dock for the accused to stand, the stand which the defendants and witnesses took to voice their statements, the high seats of the judge and his assistants, the clerks station in the corner to make notes, and finally the pews for the jury on either side of the spacious and grave-toned room.

But this did not surprise Envy in the slightest. It and, it assumed, Edward as well, had expected this.

What it did not expect was that every seat it saw was already occupied.

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All the seats, right down to the lowly clerk, were filled by its appropriate occupants. Envy was speechless, and filled with a building dread. This was madness. It was...it was as if...

The old judge, sitting high above the rest in his long, curled wig and black robes, face lined with years and years of brooding on the notions of justice and crime, watched the procession as they filed in with sombre grey eyes.

Envy and Edward, released from their restraints by their former captors in a harmless burst of red energy, took their place in the dock, and stared at the judge with both anxiety and curiosity. Neither knew what to expect now, or how everything would follow from now on. They only knew they had to fight to persuade Fate to work in their favour. The only reason Envy had accepted their current circumstances so readily was due to the conviction it now felt, like rekindled flames, burning in its stomach. It was tired of running and hiding away like some hunted animal, and it staunchly refused continue thus for the rest of its life while knowing it was still deprived of the joys, sorrows and opportunities the thoughtless, ungrateful humans indulged in. Besides, it had Edward's quality of life to consider as well. What kind of a friend would Envy be, if it allowed itself to have Edward suffer with it without doing all it could to bring them both happiness? It would be monstrous to neglect the boy thus, even if Edward probably hated it now.

Their lives depended on persuading these strangers of their good intention and plight without betraying their identities or origins.

The old judge regarded the alchemists and Elias.

Elias nodded silently.

The judge waved his hand to dismiss them, and they promptly turned and exited the courtroom without another word.

Elias Amsel, the last to leave, paused a moment at the great threshold, and turned to cast his mismatched, piercing eyes on Envy, who, sensing them on him, also turned to meet his gaze.

Something passed between them in those mere seconds of contact, an invisible connection of the minds that none could, at that moment, fathom. There was intrigue in their looks, a desire to understand each other, both knowing the other was blatantly out of the ordinary, and each were wondering subconsciously where that desire would take them, and what it could achieve.

Breaking away, Elias turned on his heel and brought the doors closing on him with a loud, groaning whine, and a final, painful crunch.

Envy was snapped back to reality as the judge's slow, husky voice spoke out in the newly-laid silence of the expectant courtroom.

"You know why you are both here, do you not?" he said.

Envy took a breath, preparing himself for a long, arduous battle.

"Yes, your Honour. I do."

The judge was unimpressed.

"I shall rephrase my question," he said, expression like stone. "You know why you are here, do you not,_homunculus?"_

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_My lily feet are soiled with mud, _

_With scarlet mud which tells a tale _

_Of hope that was, of guilt that was, _

_Of love that shall not yet avail; _

_Alas, my heart, if I could bare _

_M_y heart, this selfsame stain is there: __

_I seek the sea of glass and fire T_

_o wash the spot, to burn the snare; _

_Lo, stairs are meant to lift us higher: _

_Mount with me, mount the kindled stair._

-'The Convent Threshold', by Christina Rossetti

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><p><strong><strong>

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: **I plan on revising a bit of chapters one and two of this fic-only some of the things Envy says. Thinking about it now, and considering realistically what he would be like in this early stage made me think I'd made him out to be too much 'holier than thou', if you know what I mean.

For example, when Edward comes to rescue him on the second occasion, gets upset, and Envy says 'oh what have I done, you know what, don't worry about me, just go home, I'll spend the rest of my days in this flask'. No. Just no. I've got to revise that, and a few other things...Under the circumstances, Envy would be far more selfish than I initially made him out to be. He would be desperate enough to take advantage of a child, no matter his/her feelings. He would use him/her to give him a body, and never once say 'go back home, I'll be fine in my parasitic form', at least until after he gains his human form.

So yeah, you might be interested in checking out the early chapters soon, as there will be some alterations made. Nothing plot-centric, just character-centric, purely on Envy's part. I don't think I've done him justice (at least, in those first few chapters).

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**EXTRA NOTE: **Also, I'm going to confirm the time and place of the first chap IN the first chap. I can't believe I just didn't mention it until freaking CHAPTER 11! 8O Wtf?

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	15. Locus Standi

Chapter 13: Locus Standi

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's a reason you haven't and won't be hearing much, on Edward Green's feelings or POV for the most part of this chapter. The shock from the earlier murder has made him withdraw into himself while dealing with his own conflicted feelings. He's only half-aware of what's going on around him, actually. Remember, he's only nine, and not Edward Elric at all in terms of endurance at this point, so please forgive him! Also, Envy's going to change quite a bit and slowly we'll see something interesting unravel…**

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_Vanity of vanities, the Preacher saith,  
>All things are vanity. The eye and ear<br>Cannot be filled with what they see and hear.  
>Like early dew, or like the sudden breath<br>Of wind, or like the grass that withereth,  
>Is man, tossed to and fro by hope and fear:<br>So little joy hath he, so little cheer,  
>Till all things end in the long dust of death.<br>To-day is still the same as yesterday,  
>To-morrow also even as one of them;<br>And there is nothing new under the sun:  
>Until the ancient race of Time be run,<br>The old thorns shall grow out of the old stem,  
>And morning shall be cold and twilight grey.<em>

'The One Certainty' by Christina Rossetti.

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Envy and Edward were struck dumb. Neither could speak nor think. Even Edward, shaken and tormented as he was, could not resist the shock of this revelation. The sheer absurdity of the question; so unexpected, so agonisingly direct as to be unmarred by doubt, temporarily immobilised them. The judge knew. Everyone present, as well as the alchemists who had brought them hence, knew.

That Envy was a homunculus.

Pressure closed in as all eyes bored into the pair standing numb in the dock, pale-faced and mute, with that unquestionable, irrevocable knowledge. Nothing either could say would dissuade them. The heavy atmosphere, the conviction in all their faces, was enough to convince them both of that.

Envy swallowed hard and clenched its fists, forcing itself to sustain eye-contact with its judge.

"How...did you know?" it murmured.

The old man gazed down at the homunculus impassively, as if the question was perfectly irrelevant to the matter at hand.

"We have our sources," he put out vaguely, infuriating Envy. This place had far too many secrets. Concealed information was nothing but danger to it and its friend, and the fact that so much was being kept from it was further inflaming the sore wound. However, it endeavoured to mask his discomfort with wry sarcasm.

"Dear me, how _dramatic_ you sound!" Envy slurred, forcing a smirk. "I must confess I feel goosebumps up my arms!"

In actual fact, its arms were beginning to shake.

The judge frowned.

"Useless snipes will get you nowhere, homunculus," he remarked matter-of-factly. "Let us proceed with the more pressing issues."

Envy frowned, then nodded.

"You mean the murder of that thug scarcely an hour or so ago...?"

"That is the least of my concern," the judge interrupted coldly, startling the homunculus. Such a warped sense of justice! "The man you killed was, as you have said, a thug who will certainly not be missed by our people. We are certain that, judging by his character, he would have certainly attacked you and the boy in that area, which, incidentally, was one of their many 'territories'. You acted in self-defence and killed him. There is no charge for such incidences, and thus, that particular matter is closed. What I want to know are these: where have you come from, what are your origins, why you are here, and what your intentions are. You can speak as long as you like; there is no-one here other than myself to interrupt you, and I can assure you I will do no such thing unless the subject needs to be changed. Are you satisfied with the conditions which I have just outlined to you?"

Envy paused for a moment in thought.

"No," it answered boldly. "I have a few questions of my own, relating you your conditions, which I must have answered."

The old judge nodded slowly in acceptance, and Envy continued.

"Firstly, will _he _be allowed to speak on my behalf if he wishes?" The homunculus motioned to the boy in question. Putting extra-emphasis on the 'he', Envy gave its friend a pointed, bitter glare.

"Yes...if he wishes," the judge said, and, looking the young boy's face over with his eyes, remarked: "But, for what I can see, the boy does not seem willing to participate in the slightest."

Envy twitched and glanced mournfully down at Edward, who, once again, refused to meet his eyes.

"...Edwar...the boy...is not handling my killing of his would-be-murderer well," Envy confessed, in a low voice sharpened with bitterness, designed to sting.

Edward Green was silent, and stared at the floor.

The judge nodded slowly, unconcerned.

"I see. Any more questions?"

"Yes. By 'my origins', I assume you mean the circumstances of my birth and experiences thenceforth?"

"I do."

Envy nodded, and the slight trembling in its arms diminished slightly. Good. It planned to tell his audience everything. The more it could relate to sway its indifferent and suspicious hearers to its favour. They would have to have hearts of stone not to be moved by its story.

Smiling a little in relief, Envy asked its final question.

"Finally, may I be permitted to show your Honour and the honourable jury my true human form?"

The judge seemed surprised, his eyes widening for a moment, not by the subject matter of the question but rather by the fact that the homunculus himself had requested such so readily.

"I'm tired of pretending," the homunculus explained firmly.

The judge collected himself and laced his wrinkled fingers.

"By all means do so."

Envy took this as a cue to transform. In moments, in a burst of red energy that had most of the audience gasping and recoiling in fear, Envy stood before the court in all its outlandish, pale, sinewy and scantily-clad glory, violet snake-like eyes flashing brilliantly in the harsh light.

It grinned, showing sharp teeth.

"Surprised?" it teased, eyes narrowing playfully, as its horrified audience looked on, speechless. Even the judge could not conceal his astonishment.

"…What is the meaning of this..._outrageous_ appearance?" the shaken old man managed.

Envy couldn't resist a smirk of amusement. He personally didn't see anything wrong with his outfit. It was liberating, in fact, to be so scarcely clad. Man was born completely naked, and had lived for centuries thus, and so it was amusing how they reviled from such a state, or anything remotely close to it.

"What? This is the form I automatically took following my ascent to human shape. I did not wilfully choose this appearance."

The judge stared, unable to respond.

"I swear upon my life," the homunculus asserted, placing a pale hand on the area where its heart would have been in any human opinion.

But the homunculus violated every ancient unspoken concept and fact so naturally inborn in human psyche and society it was almost phenomenal. Its mere presence struck fear into the hearts of all present, seeing this antithesis of their own existences standing bare and triumphant before them. All too real to deny.

Remembering his duty, the old judge cleared his throat and re-addressed Envy, forcing his composure to remain even.

"Whether or not you chose this form is irrelevant to the matter at hand…"

"I know," Envy cut in. "I explained so as not to allow my unwelcome attire to influence your minds."

"Be that as it may," the judge continued. "I would like you to adhere to your conditions."

The homunculus's eyes narrowed, and it breathed out slowly.

"Very well."

So Envy told its listener's everything. Its real name, its creation, its life, its torment, everything. Everything Edward had heard, all they had experienced, and more. Namely, how it was created with the souls of countless humans, and how exactly it had become so knowledgeable despite being trapped in the darkness of the earth for the most part of its long life.

Yes, it had gained knowledge from its creator, and the unknown cosmos from whence it had been procured, but even that knowledge only stretched so far. The truth was that, over the centuries of imprisonment below the earth—there had been experiments. Experiments conducted on itself that probed, tested, and force-fed endless, heaving bursts of knowledge into its brain. It was no wonder the organ ruptured, split, and was pieced back together by the Stone's energy, only for the agonising process to repeat. Hundreds of needles were jammed into its flesh and images, words, numbers, faces, all poured into its mind in never-ending waves, coils and blurs its mind's eye was overcome with. Year after year, era after era, the process was repeated again and again, until its body was almost wreaked with the strains and its mind driven over the edge with the overpowering weight of what it had been forced to contain.

Envy could not stop itself from talking. It so desperately craved understanding from these humans, and humanity as a whole, that the homunculus spilled forth all its thoughts, feelings, experiences, in the space of time that seemed to flow by in a long, relieving rush. It was almost like a release. It hated keeping things locked away as it had been, and a chance to fully express itself was more than appreciated.

But why had Envy not done the same when it had had the chance while alone with Edward, its first confidante?

The homunculus subconsciously pondered on this question all the while it was speaking, probing its deepest, darkest thoughts with all the reluctance of one prodding a vein with a desperate, hesitant blade-tip.

The answer was unpleasant, to say the least.

Because, in truth, deep down Envy had never fully trusted the boy. It had no intention of revealing anything that the boy, human notwithstanding of his age, could possibly use against him, or else be forced to. Thus far, Envy had only shared information useless to any human as a catalyst for action against it. Envy was all too aware of humanity's treacherous nature, and not even a boy such as Edward, good as he was, was exempt from it. No-one but itself could be trusted. Having experienced firsthand the kind of evil that could be inflicted with knowledge and power formed this unshakable belief, and Envy would allow no-one to sway him otherwise. Edward was human, and that alone made him a threat, a danger, a dormant storm ready to wreak havoc. That knowledge had always been present at the back of its mind and no effort of Envy's part was made to suppress it. Envy was now confident that, given its current strength, it could kill the boy if ever he turned traitor.

Instantly the homunculus recoiled from the very idea. But then it remembered the cold, the unending eons of darkness, the endlessness, the hopelessness, the experiments…

Envy clenched its teeth and knew it would kill God itself rather than suffer the same torment again.

As a result, therefore, no matter how the homunculus felt affection for Edward, it could never fully be open with him.

Pointedly ignoring Edward's horrified stare, Envy finally finished, and fell silent, waiting.

A shocked hush had descended, and all eyes looked upon the homunculus with a mixture of emotions so confused Envy could not properly pinpoint them. It desperately hoped they understood, but it was impossible to be sure. Uncertainty terrified Envy, and now it shrunk under its hellish, unfathomable mass, age-old and crushing him inside.

The judge broke the silence with a cough.

"…Interesting," he said, at length, at a loss of what else to say. The enormity of what he had just heard was too great for a mere human word to express. "Well then, I think all that has needed to be said has been said." At this, he looked down at Edward, who promptly looked away. "Tomorrow the second trial will commence, in which you shall be informed your situation and why you have been expected here. In the meantime, our guards shall escort and detain you in a private nearby holding."

Somehow Envy found this binding order refreshing, given how long it had spent wallowing in senseless chaos of confusion and uncertainty. However, it also infuriated it beyond imagining. Once again, its freedom was being restricted by humans, and it was powerless to prevent it—or rather, powerless in the sense that although it had the strength and intellect to get away, it could not while considering its and its companion's future well-being.

Now the full weight of frustration of its power being rendered painfully and utterly useless awakened fury within the homunculus, and finally unleashed as two guards made to grasp its arms.

Envy jerked away, glaring at them with pure hatred flashing in its eyes.

"Get your filthy hands off me, I can walk by myself!"

The jury gasped and murmured uneasily, and the judge called for order.

"I have no doubt you are perfectly capable of such an action," he said seriously, gazing down at the angry creature, eyes void of sympathy, "but you must understand that this is the necessary requirement for all accused. You, human or not, are no exception."

Envy grit its teeth, seething with rage. Such was its emotion that it spilled over in the form of wild, hissing red sparks coiling and lashing out from its person, barring its would-be-detainers from touching it. Edward jumped back, alarmed. He had never believed this calm, collected creature to be capable of such anger.

It seemed Edward had grossly underestimated just how closely intertwined the connection between human and homunculus truly was.

The old judge sighed heavily and gave up, motioning for the unnerved guards to lead the homunculus and the boy away.

Envy never broke its furious gaze away from the old man.

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Entering through a side-door, the pair was promptly led down a series of long corridors lit lighted with flaming torches stationed along the walls. The floor was carpeted red, the gleaming wooden flooring polished to the standard of such a grand building of worthy cause.

Silence reigned supreme, and Envy took advantage of it to dwell on the fact that even now, it was still under the direction of mere humans, yanked this way and that like a baited bull to the slaughter, and revealed itself against its own will, and humiliated as everything showed to be one elaborate trick. It, Envy, with knowledge surpassing anything that any of the collection of humans who had witnessed it throughout its long life so far could ever dream of, had been well and truly duped. Made a fool of once again, and unable to do anything about it.

And on top of everything, its one confidant refused to acknowledge it.

The maddening frustration, the indignation, the helplessness of the whole ordeal made Envy suddenly raging to bash its fist through something, and began eyeing its two uneasy consorts with pure hatred lathering bloodlust in its wounded soul.

A sudden cold wet matter slipping its balance made Envy snap out of its dark intent, and the homunculus looked around at very different surroundings.

It would have been pitch black if not for the flaming glow of the torch one of the guards had no doubt picked up on their way. The walls reeked of dirt and grime, the putrid likes of which layered the floor. The air stunk of sweat, concrete and other vile matter none present wished to think of, and Envy made a face.

Envy was particularly disadvantaged for the fact that it was barefoot, and had no other choice but to force its feet across the mess. It made no attempt to hide its discomfort, grimacing at every step, and occasionally groaning in disgust.

Their two guards were too frightened of the creature to tell it to shut up.

However, the horrible clenching, ugly sensation in Envy's gut had returned; that horrible weight that pricked and jittered its senses, and suddenly all its strength, all its confidence, was slowly sucked out. It quickened its pace so as to be in line with its two guides, close to the flame of the torch.

Needless to say, the two men were less than thrilled at this development.

"What is this place?" Envy asked indignantly, its voice noticeably higher in pitch. "I'll be damned if this is the same corridor we entered in the beginning!"

"That's because it isn't, homunculus," the man to its left replied with barely-veiled sarcasm.

Envy turned on him viciously.

"Don't think I didn't know that, human!" it snarled, flaring up in sparks.

Suddenly a hand grabbed its arm, and Envy looked down to see Edward, face hidden from view by his mop of hazelnut-brown hair.

"Don't kill someone in front of me again, Envy," he murmured.

Envy flinched, and it looked down at its friend hopelessly. What could it say? "I'm sorry"? How could that one word solve everything now? What could it say to make things better? What could it do to bring things back to the way they were between them?

How?

Silently, Envy took a step away from the man, looked at Edward for a few moments, imploringly. The boy still refused to look at it.

With a despairing sigh, the homunculus resumed their melancholy march, its baffled guides stepping ahead, and former friend trudging close behind.

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Edward could not get the image out of his head. The image of Envy standing over the dead man, eyes wide and ablaze with a kind of livid, inhuman ruthlessness, blood soaking his left arm and spreading from the hole it had bored through the victim's body, silently seeping across the black cobblestones.

In those few seconds, Envy had become a monster.

Its eyes devilish, the homunculus was at once alive with the darkness surrounding it, immersed in the bloody deed it had committed. Suddenly the circumstances surrounding the murder were ripped away, and lay naked the emotions of rage and hatred that had been unleashed from their dark prison, buried in the creature's subconscious for countless centuries.

Edward, in a fit of sick terror, had rushed into the creature's arms to dispel the horrible sight.

_"Ever since the day I was locked away in the darkness, I knew I would take a life. It was, I believe, what I was created to do."_

It was then that Edward knew he had lost the friend he had thought he had found in the homunculus. This creature, capable of taking life, _destined _to take life,_ _created __for that one purpose... destroyed the boy's image of the supreme human it had seen in Envy. Its flaws had been inconsequential to its overall character. It had been ultimate, perfect evolved form of humanity incapable of so sudden, so callous, and so remorseless and brutal an act so as to obliterate its own human image and put something altogether more alien and terrifying in its place. Edward then was forced to confront the fact that, truly, it barely knew the homunculus. It had lived longer than the country in which he now lived, knew more than countless scholars, and had suffered for longer than any human alive could have ever endured. Much of the eloquence and gentlemanly demeanour Envy had shown was a ruse to hide its own raw bitterness, its ugly nature. It had deliberately kept from releasing its full rage and grief for the pretence of perfection, of humanity at the pinnacle of control, patience, and rationality.

Now that image had been shattered, and Edward could only watch as his friend slowly transformed into something unrecognisable: the being Envy had always been, hidden away… until now.

_"You know I had to do it, don't you?"_

No. Edward had lied when he had said yes. Why did Envy have to do it? Why did he…_it…have to take away the being he had befriended?_

Looking for the first time at Envy-its back, walking away from him-Edward could only recognise the ever widening gap between them.

It was then that Edward realised that his best and only friend was gone, and a stranger put in its place.

Tears falling, the boy mourned what he had lost.

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After what seemed an age, the group reached the end of the maze of corridors, and approached a lone, iron door.

"You will remain here until tomorrow, for the second trial," the left guard informed, as the other fumbled with keys and unlocked the door.

"Are there no lights in there?" Envy asked, glancing nervously at them both in turn.

"None."

Envy's insides lurched, and his countenance turned a shade paler.

"No. No, you cannot keep me in there!" Envy blurted out, voice rising to a hysterical pitch. "I won't be locked up in the darkness! I won't let you!"

Frantic, the homunculus turned and made a dash to get away, but was barred by a familiar face.

Mismatched eyes glowed in the torchlight.

"Going somewhere?"

Envy froze, and saw several other alchemists gather behind their leader, its breathing quickening. It was trapped. Unless…unless it would kill them all…But…

"Calm down, homunculus," Elias said, holding a hand up in an appeasing gesture.

Envy looked at the man, eyes begging, vulnerable, clutching himself as a desperate child might in the face of a dreaded punishment. All of its former confidence had been destroyed, and now an utterly different creature stood before him; alone, helpless, and absolutely at his mercy. The naked emotion took the hardened alchemist by surprise.

"Elias...please..." the homunculus whispered, almost in tears.

The alchemist clenched its jaw. He couldn't be swayed. He couldn't. Not now. He had to make this work somehow...

"I and a few of my comrades will be outside. We can talk, and take your mind off the darkness," he soothed, reaching out.

Envy shook with the terror and hopelessness. It couldn't resist any longer. They were going to detain it again…

"No…no, not again, I won't let you bastards do this to me again!" Envy shrieked, slapping Elias's hand away as if it were deadly, breathing furiously. "Get out of my way..._GET OUT OF MY WAY HUMANS!_"

Losing control utterly, Envy threw itself directly at the alchemists and smashed through them like a wild animal escaping the hunter, sprinting for its life. It had to get out..._It had to get out!_

Suddenly something caught its legs in mid-sprint and yanked it backwards. Snapping its head round, Envy saw to its horror that its legs were imprisoned in a coil of solid alchemised stone. It was thrown to the ground and instantly contained from the neck down in layer upon layer of solid mass until it could not even twitch its tiny digits.

Howling with rage and despair, Envy could only watch as it was dragged back into the darkness, the last remaining light robbed from it as Elias closed the door upon it and a terrified Edward.

The alchemist looked at the inconsolable, wretched creature with pity. Suddenly, he felt a surge of an emotion he had not experienced in a long time, but suppressed it.

"…I'm sorry, homunculus," he said quietly, and slammed the door.

Elias Amsel tried to block out Envy's terrified screams as he took his post and waited for the long night to end.

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* * *

><p><strong>I'm so cruel to Envy, aren't I? ^^;<strong>

**Locus Standi (Latin):_ 'a right to appear in a court or before any body on a given question, 'a right to be heard'._**


	16. One Night to Change the World

Chapter 14: One Night to Change the World

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_Oh why is heaven built so far,  
>Oh why is earth set so remote?<br>I cannot reach the nearest star  
>That hangs afloat.<em>

'De Profundis' By Christina Rossetti.

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Never was there a more pitiful sight than the homunculus Envy as it screamed and pounded relentlessly on the iron doors containing it in its black prison as blind and helpless as its young companion, but its terror was far more raw, profound, and all-consuming in its madness,. It didn't want it to end like this. It didn't want it to end at all. Never, never! The void, the nothingness, forgotten, lost. The dark...the dark...the _eyes...!_

_They're herethey'reherethey'reherethey'rehereTHEY'RE HERE...!_

Endlessly Envy howled, pleading to be let out, begging on its knees, trying to claw its way out and snapping off its nails in the process, striking its knuckles and fingertips ceaselessly against the impenetrable alchemised iron till they bled, regenerated, and bled afresh.

"LET ME OUT, I CAN'T SEE! OH GOD, I CAN'T SEE! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! NO...THEY'RE COMING, THEY'RE COMING, NO, NO...I CAN'T...I CAN'T..."

Suddenly the homunculus broke down completely and unleashed a shriek so terrible, so hellish and so inhuman in its terror that every human in the direct vicinity of the noise cowered from it, numbed to the bone. Even Elias Amsel began to tremble.

Edward was now sharply and violently aware of the reality of his surroundings, and began to feel his way across the room for the distressed creature, scrabbling on both hands and knees like his inferior ancestors used to do. He just wanted the noise to stop. It was killing him, tearing his mind apart-invisible howls in the darkness. Finally, he seized an ankle, then pounced on a leg, and then threw himself onto the homunculus' entirety, forcing it to the ground with a loud thud while it thrashed violently and frantically under him.

"Envy!" he gasped, narrowly avoiding the other's fist, "For God's sake, Envy, calm down, please!"

But Envy would not be consoled, and still it buckled and kicked and scratched at anything and everything in its range. It did not recognise the voice; its brain was not even registering it. It was engulfed, ensnared in its own terrifying memories of despair, isolation and disembowelment.

"No, don't touch me!" it screamed, "Get off, get away, don't...don't come inside me! Don't touch me, don't open me, DON'T OPEN ME UP AGAIN...!"

"ENVY, I'M NOT ONE OF THEM!" the boy shouted, taking advantage of a scratch to the face and pinning its arms down and holding them there with the pressure of his weight. "ENVY, I'M EDWARD! EDWARD GREEN!"

Still the homunculus was deaf to Edward's pleas, and still they each fought against each other, wrestling, punching and kicking and biting like wild beasts as they pushed and shoved against walls and floors until neither was even aware of the difference between them. The homunculus's panic made its strikes wild and made avoiding them easy for the small boy, but none the less lethal. Edward repeatedly shouted his innocence, Envy repeatedly screamed to be let go. The chaos was not their captors' job to prevent. Their orders were only to keep the two under lock and key, but if violence was to arise, they were not to lift a finger to stop them, even if death was more than a likely consequence. The homunculus and companion were both dangers, threats, and if they could be disposed of before the trial, then so be it.

But Elias was different. He could not stand by and allow such an abuse of justice, such unneeded death, to occur right under his nose and do nothing. He was tired of tired of forsaking his conscience for the selfish desires of his superiors. Suddenly the alchemist captain felt an overwhelming, searing urge to burst into the room and prevent the double slaughter he saw as inevitable. He leapt forward and slammed both hands onto the door's surface to release the seal etched upon it.

Inside, Edward was thrown to the ground and stared up at his attacker with terrified amber eyes, hidden in the darkness, seething snarls betraying the homunculus's murderous intent as sparks flew and revealed its left arm; sharpening into a long, flashing blade, poised to strike.

"What are you doing?" a colleague shouted over the din. "Get back to your station, remember your orders!"

"Do you want them both to DIE?" Elias bellowed back. "That young boy? Do you really want to stand back and allow him to be ripped to pieces in there? DO YOU?"

_And the homunculus..._

"But our orders-!"

"TO HELL WITH OUR ORDERS!"

With a wild howl of a trapped animal, Envy plunged downwards.

Elias released the seal with a burst of silver lightning, tearing the door open and revealing the scene within.

Edward lent against the chest of his former-friend, arms wrapped tightly around the homunculus as if he would never let go.

Envy was frozen in its strike, arm stretched downwards, the sharpened tip of its transformed arm dripping with blood.

Both were utterly still, and not a sound escaped them.

A sob broke through the trance that had befallen all present, and Elias was amazed to discover it had come from none other than Edward Green. A strange, overwhelming relief flowed through the alchemist, and he smiled weakly.

Envy was in shock, staring straight ahead wide-eyed and seemingly having snapped back to its senses with a sudden, brutal crash.

"Envy…" the boy choked. "Envy, I'm here, Envy…"

The homunculus did not move, but was enough aware of itself and what its senses were receiving to look down at the boy embracing him.

"Envy, I know…" Edward resumed, occasionally hiccupping and rubbing his tears on the creature's tight-fitting upper-garment, "I know you wanted to protect me, that your anger…made you do what you did…And I should have accepted that, but…I was afraid."

He jerked as a sob wracked his small body, and continued hoarsely.

"I was afraid…afraid of the fact I didn't really know you at all. I was afraid…that the one I'd rescued, the one I'd promised to be with throughout your journey no matter what the event, was an entirely different being than I'd first believed…you to be. I thought…at that time when you killed…that you…that you were a monster…"

Envy closed his eyes at the last comment, its face etched with agony.

"But I was wrong!" Edward cried desperately. "I was so horribly wrong, so cruel, to think that! I was selfish, and didn't once consider how you felt! Now I know…you're in pain, you're angry, you're frustrated, and tired of everything that's happening to you…and I, your supposed best friend…abandoned you to it all! I made you feel that you were all alone in the world to face all your pain and all the oppression with no one to turn to, no one to care about you…!"

Edward's voice cracked, and he wept.

"_I…I was all alone when we first met, and I did this to you…I made you feel as alone, angry and hurt as I was!…And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Envy…!"_

The homunculus's body was shaking. Tears spilled down its cold cheeks and splashed onto Edward's face as he raised his head to look directly into Envy's eyes.

"Ed…ward…" it whispered. It saw the blood on its hand, and froze, horrified. "Oh God…I hurt you! Edward, you're bleeding, I…!"

Edward chuckled.

"Don't worry, I don't blame you!" he said, rubbing the small wound. "It's only a scratch."

Envy inspected the injury himself nonetheless, and was relieved to find it exactly as the boy had said.

Edward managed a smile. Envy recognised him again, and now Edward recognised fully how much he had let it down by failing to recognise the sorrow and hurt buried in its heart, only now when it was so nakedly and dangerously apparent. Envy was still the Envy who had praised him, accepted him, and protected him—it was high time Edward did the same.

"Envy," he told the homunculus, amber eyes bright. "You're not going to be alone anymore. I'll always be with you, I'll always be there, to protect and help you! Always!"

Envy's arm shifted back to its original state, and it beamed, too overwhelmed to speak. It was so happy…Edward finally understood how it felt. Edward was now more than willing to open his arms out to it and accept and embrace it despite its failings, and help ease its suffering. They were friends, once again.

That was all the reassurance Envy needed to throw its arms around the boy and draw him close.

A few moments of blissful silence passed.

Suddenly it was interrupted by an abrupt cough, and the two were alerted to the presence of their audience of alchemist gaurds, including Elias Amsel.

They stared at them, loosened their hold on each other, but did not let go.

"Homunculus…"

"I would prefer my name to be used in reference to myself, alchemist," Envy cut in, frowning.

The alchemist rolled his eyes, and was about to speak before Elias took up his comrades' unspoken words.

"Envy, would you prefer to be moved to under cell under light?" he asked, ignoring the pointed glare from his snubbed peer.

Envy thought. While the notion was instantly appealing, and it opened its mouth to give an automatic affirmative, it was interrupted by Edward squeezing its arm.

Envy looked at its friend, puzzled.

The boy's message was clear in his expression's firmness: _This will not help you._

The homunculus understood, nodded slowly, and addressed Elias.

"No, thank you. I am quite content here with my friend," it confessed, with confidence, giving Edward a quick wink. The boy grinned.

Elias nodded, emitting a strictly professional tone and demeanour. Inwardly he both respected and understood the reasoning behind the conjoined decision.

"Very well," he said. "We shall reseal the door until tomorrow morning, when the second trial shall commence. Good night."

Edward returned the gesture, while the homunculus remained silent. Elias was a puzzling human. He could not fathom his motives or feelings, both of which being all too ambiguous and confused for its liking. Additionally, the man was an alchemist. All the more reason to be wary.

Elias turned along with his comrades and exited the room, once again sealing the iron door behind them. Turning slightly as he walked back to his station along the dark corridor, Elias could see the two smiling at one another.

It took a comment from one of his fellow alchemists for Elias to realise that he had been smiling too.

The smile turned grim when he realised just how much his loyalties had been shaken by the appearance of the homunculi and its human friend. Everything had been turned on its head, everything was changed and alien. He wondered why he felt this way, this disturbing sensation in his gut that something was wrong, horribly wrong, what could possibly be affecting his otherwise steel sense of judgement and morality in what he did. He wondered what lay ahead, both for himself and the pair sitting within the black chamber. What would he do if the court ruled against Envy's favour? Where would he stand?

Elias frowned as he confronted the fact that he had only one night to determine all three of their destinies.

The law of equivalent exchange had been crushed. Tomorrow, it was all or nothing.

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TO BE CONTINUED


	17. Ab Intra

Chapter 15: Ab Intra

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_I laugh, it is so brisk and gay; _

_It is so far before, I weep: _

_I hope I shall lie down some day, _

_Lie down and sleep._

-'Fata Morgana', 3rd stanza, by Christina Rossetti

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Once again, Envy and Edward Green were locked inside the darkness. However, this time, the homunculus was far more at ease, although still the pressure of anxiety writhed at the back of its brain like a dormant tumour. It could not help itself. Centuries of terror and despair had ingrained its phobias deeply into its being, and the homunculus had no power to dispel them.

Edward noticed this from hearing the agitated restlessness of his friend sitting by him, and reached out to touch its hand.

"Edward, you are touching my nether regions,"

"AH!" the boy yelped and scrambled backwards. "Oh God, I'm sorry, I—!"

His frantic babbles were interrupted by a burst of hysterics from Envy, who was so overcome it pounded the floor.

"You humans…are so easy!" it spluttered through its laughter. "Oh God, I wish I could see your face!"

Edward gaped, stunned.

"You…you tricked me, you bastard!" he yelled, "You ruined the touching emotional moment! Or there would have been one if you hadn't _ruined _it, old man…woman…__thing_…!"_

Edward trailed off, and there was an awkward silence.

Envy promptly began laughing so hard it fell over, clutching its chest in a vain attempt to stop and breathe.

"STOP LAUGHING, I JUST CALLED YOUR GENDER INTO QUESTION! AND CALLED YOU OLD, AND A BASTARD!" the hopelessly exasperated boy cried, shaking the sniggering creature in a vain attempt to pacify it.

Outside, the alchemist guards were summoning all their willpower not to laugh.

Envy finally calmed down, and, wiping its eyes, it looked at its friend with a (although Edward himself couldn't see it) somewhat sheepish look; the kind that plainly states 'Oh dear, what I would give to not have to tell you this'.

"Well, I'm glad you showed some fire in swearing," the homunculus admitted. "Although it would be wise to refrain from such base language. It's unsightly, especially for such a kind soul as yourself."

Edward beamed, extremely humbled by the elder's praise. He had never been complimented by his mother, and so hearing them for the first time was an elating experience the boy could not describe.

"Thanks, and I won't do it again…unless the situation calls for it." Edward uttered the last part with a mischievous edge to his voice.

Envy laughed and accepted this compromise.

"So, Envy…how old are you?" Edward asked eagerly.

The homunculus chuckled uncomfortably.

"Well…how old…Um…"

It paused.

"Very?"

"Hey, cheater, that doesn't tell me anything!" the boy protested, pouting.

Envy chuckled, good-naturedly this time. However, something about the question still clearly bothered it.

"Fine, fine…I was born—or rather, _created_—around the year 1526. This year…or rather, the year we left behind, is 1740. I am therefore two-hundred-and-fourteen years, zero months and twenty-seven days old."

Edward gaped.

"Oh my God…you really _are_ an old fart!"

Envy clouted the boy round the head as he burst out laughing.

"How dare you! The infernal insolence! Rise before your elder, boy!" the homunculus demanded indignantly, although laughing as well.

They paused a moment to reflect on the mirth shared between them.

Suddenly the homunculus' voice and expression took on a far grimmer tone as it said:

"And on the subject of my gender…well…"

"I won't judge you, don't worry," Edward assured.

The homunculus shifted uncomfortably.

"Let me guess…you're _neither _gender?" the boy suggested, squirming with excitement rather than unsettlement_._

"A-actually…I am _both _genders. I am a hermaphrodite."

Edward couldn't speak.

"…Does that disgust you?" Envy asked, tentatively. This snapped the boy out of his temporary shock.

"Oh, no! I just didn't expect that!" he defended honestly. For some reason, the idea that one could be both male and female at the same time baffled and unnerved the boy more than the prospect of his friend being a non-gendered entity.

Envy believed him, and told him so, before continuing to explain fully the percurilarities of its genetic makeup.

"I was produced by an alchemical process based on the union of opposites, and specifically on the union of male and female," it explained. "Further, the Hermaphrodite is a common alchemical symbol for the Philosopher's Stone because it unites and transcends all the opposites. The Sun is the symbol for Man, the moon the symbol for Woman, the metaphysical combination of the two spawning a hermaphrodite. The principle of this is to create a perfect being—how flawed their thinking was," it added bitterly.

Edward was spellbound, experiencing conflicting emotions of both awe and sympathy.

"I cannot age, and, lacking sexual organs, I cannot give life. I am a dead-end. A mockery, an infertile abomination of the very notion of creation. I cannot give life…I can only take it." The homunculus' voice was altogether altered; now a low, hoarse murmur of despair, confronting the inescapable, irrevocable truth and all the agony that it inflicted.

"You're wrong, homunculus!" Edward asserted firmly, making the dejected creature look up in astonishment. "You saved my life, and you can save others. Maybe you can't produce life yourself, but you can preserve others' lives, and, by doing so, make sure more lives are given to the world! You're not a destroyer of Man, you are its _protector!_"

Envy stared at his companion, amazed. A slow smile spread across its lips. This human…had turned all its fatalistic conclusions on its own existence and turned them upside down!

Edward suddenly became self-conscious of the silence and ventured to change the subject.

"And, as for not ageing…well…I would have thought that was a good thing...You know, remain young and strong forever!" he said, scratching his head.

Envy's smile faded.

"Ah, but…I am not immortal. Close, but yet so far. Even the likes of me have limits to their life-spans. And…furthermore…" the homunculus' voice turned thick, and was so vulnerably quiet Edward had to listen intently to hear it whisper: "I have the curse of living to see my dear only friend die before me."

Edward was at a loss at what to say. What could he possibly say to comfort the creature? This reality he could not tame—it was painfully out of both their favours, and spelled an agonising eventuality that neither wished to confront.

"Envy…"

There was a long silence, and Edward heard the creature turn away from him, and slump over, head in its hands. Envy could not bear the thought...Could not bear it.

Moved and in tears, Edward crawled to its friend's side and embraced it tightly.

"Don't worry…" the boy whispered in its ear, "we'll meet again in Heaven—I'll wait for you."

The homunculus choked back a sob.

"I promise!"

There was a long pause as Envy seemed to consider the notion that their separation would not be for-ever.

"Y…yes…Th-thank you…" Envy managed to whisper, before breaking down.

Edward kept his arms around the sobbing homunculus, and eventually succumbed to sleep.

Envy remained awake. Its requirements for life were vastly different from a humans', and so it did not require sleep or any amount of food to survive; instead, they were luxuries that it could not afford now. Neither could it afford to allow its emotions to impair its thought-process. Now…it had to think. Think of a way to save them both from destruction at the hands of humans he knew it could neither trust nor predict their natures.

It had only one night. One night to do not the purpose for which it was created, but instead accomplish what its entire being wished: to live - free, and not alone.

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Outside the iron door, Elias Amsel writhed in the agony of dashed certainty.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

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><p>Did you think this chap there'd be the second trial? TROLL'D! XD<p>

The title is Latin for 'From Within', in light of Envy's many confessions.

God, I swear this is the most-researched chapter of the lot next to chapter 11! So, in light of that, here are the notes:

**- I made Envy a hemaphrodite, a combination of both female and male traits (both physical and mental), because that was what a homunculus was, in essence. Or, at least, Goethe's Homunculus from Faust Part II was. I based Envy's origins on him/it, since Goethe's homunculus was also created and lived in a flask (that is, until it broke out to 'become one' so to speak with the goddess of the Ocean and be a complete, physical being). What happened after this...well...I'm not telling! XP**

**-The above is the reason Envy is so emotionally open. **

**- Envy's birthday, (with the random date and month of May 20th, since the Age Calculator I forged its age out of required it) of 1526 is the date in which Parcelus (AKA Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim) coined the name for the element of 'zinc'.**

**- Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim...dude...is significant for being one of the most legendary pioneering alchemists interested in the Philosopher's Stone. This will be expanded upon later.**

**- The date and month of the year Envy and Edward were in before the time-travel business (also random and as required by Age Calculator), was June 16th.**

**-The date of the current era Envy and Ed are in is 1840 ^^ Must edit the previous chapters so that's clear...**

...Phew! ^^; I'm quite proud of myself XP

OH SHIT, I FORGOT TO MENTION ENVY'S OROBOURUS OR HOWEVER YOU SPELL IT TATTOO! AND WHY HE FIRST CALLED HIMSELF VON HOHENHEIM! 0_0 Must do it next chapter...or the chapter after that...

Anyway, thanks so much for everybody's reviews so far! I hope this fic continues to your expectations to entertain you! 3


	18. No Rest For The Wicked

Chapter 16: No Rest for the Wicked

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_Our Father,  
>Who art in Heaven,<br>Hallowed be thy name.  
>Thy Kingdom come,<br>Thy will be done,  
>On earth that it is in Heaven;<br>Give us this day our daily bread,  
>And forgive us our trespasses,<br>As we forgive those who trespass again us,  
>And lead us not into temptation,<br>But deliver us from evil…_

Amen.

.

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As promised, the time finally came for the alchemised iron door enclosing the homunculus Envy and its human friend Edward Green from the light to be opened. At the threshold, bearing flaming torches, stood Captain Elias Amsel and his fellow alchemist subordinates, looking down upon the pair with expressions akin to hunters inspecting their captured prey.

The alchemist captain's mismatched bronze-and-grey eyes were like the stars—cold and mockingly distant.

Envy, whose own eyes had never once even blinked throughout the duration of the night, fixed them upon him. They narrowed, and the alchemist was amused to see the blaze of determination raging those ancient amethyst orbs.

"It is time, homunculus," the captain informed, his words echoing in blunt thuds.

Envy frowned.

"So it would appear."

Gently, it stretched out a hand and nudged the sleeping Edward, who lay sideways against the creature's shoulder. The boy's amber eyes fluttered, and by degrees awakened enough to sit up straight and rub his sleepy eyes.

"Uh…Envy, what…" he mumbled, staring blearily about him.

Envy placed a pale hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Edward, the second trial is about to commence."

This woke the boy up with a sharp jolt, and Edward stared at his friend, and was overwhelmed with the realisation that he was not afraid. Such was the sensation, that of serene calm, that Edward was almost paralyzed by it. The boy realised that he had ceased to rely on Envy as a source of emotional and physical protection, and instead had embodied himself as the homunculus' protector. Now they could equally rely on each-other. It was not fair on Envy, or himself, otherwise.

Thinking this, Edward smiled confidently, and stood up.

Envy followed suit, proud that the boy had been able to dispel his human fears so quickly. It had always underestimated the boy's strength, and had not ceased to believe itself far more capable than its companion despite having been saved by his courage many times…

Until now. Now, understanding their wrongs against each-other, understanding the pain and fears within each-other, they would work together to save themselves from the hand of injustice, and perhaps even death.

Together, they approached the alchemist captain.

"We are ready," they said, in unison.

Elias Amsel's expression did not alter. Envy bristled. How dare this man make it feel even the slightest hope of yet another human ally?

"Well then," he said. "Follow."

With that, the pair was led back down the dark corridors and towards the courtroom where everyone's hopes and dreams would collide as the fire and water that had unified Envy's physical being had, eons ago.

As they walked, Edward's eye happened to fall upon a strange red mark on the homunculus's thigh. Inspecting fully, he saw it to be an imprint of a dragon coiled upon itself, encircling a five-pointed star, mouth gaping jagged teeth as if to devour itself…

"Envy," he said, pointing at the mark in question. "What's that?"

The homunculus looked down at its friend and then at the area the boy was referring to, and smiled, somewhat grimly.

"Ah, yes. The Ouroboros. It is the symbol of recreation, and also symbolizes the circular nature of the alchemist's opus (literary work). It was born from the age-old idea of devouring oneself to become a circulatory process with no end—in essence, immortal."

Edward gazed at the mark with wide-eyed amazement and awe.

Envy frowned at its friend's newfound fascination with the mark that was, to it, far from being a positive symbol, but instead a curse more odious than any god could inflict.

"Do not regard my mark so favourably," it said sternly. "It is not something you should admire. It is a mockery, a lie—it boasts of the ultimate state of being I do not possess, that of immortality. As I have said before, I am the closest yet furthest thing to an immortal entity. I know our alchemist associates are aware of this fact."

Unseen, Elias gave a small nod. Indeed, no-one could call himself an alchemist without knowing the limits of the Philosopher's Stone's gratifications. In a time such as this where alchemy was relied upon and believed as a force to dabble in and not the stuff of legend, anyone who knew about alchemy knew of the Stone as well, along with what it could be used for.

"Moreover," the homunculus continued, "this is not merely a statement of delusional ideals, but also a mark of identification. It remains no matter what form I assume, and is the thing that eternally divides myself from the rest of humanity or any other living creature on the planet. I am the only one of my kind on this earth—this mark is what reminds me of that, and it mocks me constantly."

The homunculus fell silent, musing on its own monstrous origins and the isolation it brought with it. The raw loneliness and boiling sensation of disgust flared up once again, as it often did, as Envy considered the agonising fact that, even in human form, it could never escape from the scarred, hideous, hermaphroditic, infertile abomination it had been from the moment of its birth.

It could have wallowed on this aching truth. Certainly, it could have, very easily. But, looking down at the emphatic face of its best friend, Envy knew such an act was out of the question. Doing so would doom them both.

Now it had to stay calm. With sheer mental effort, it pushed its ugly thoughts down into the dark depths of its mind, and quietly thought of the happy days lying with Edward under the stars.

A small, nostalgic smile spread across the creature's lips, and it took hold of the boy's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

Envy craved more happy nights, more happy days, like that. It wanted to share them with Edward. It would have them. It _would_have them! But, if possible, not with blows, but its tongue. Violence, it knew, from humanity's own ceaseless, senseless wars across the centuries, only led to more violence, and the pair would find themselves in a never-ending chain of anger and hurt, unable to escape.

It took true courage to face one's enemy with calm and a desire to understand. Edward had shown it that. Only with a mutual understanding could both human and homunculi live side by side. Only then could Envy be at peace with itself.

Again, standing in the dock before the grey-eyed magistrate and anxious jury. Risking a glance in their direction, Envy saw their fearful, disdainful faces.

It clenched its fists. _I cannot be disheartened. I cannot._

"I shall now commence the second trial of the homunculus Envy," the old judge announced solemnly, and, looking down at the creature in question with fathomless eyes, addressed it directly. "Creature of the Stone, you have practically offered yourself up to humanity's wrath and left your fate to the ones who would sooner damn than save you. You have poured out your heart…or rather, every scrap of information regarding yourself, that could so easily be used against your person if we so wished. My question regarding this astonishing case of either bravery or sheer foolishness, is simply this: Why?"

The homunculus took a breath.

"To give a brief answer: I am tired of running away," it said, with a weary smile. The smile of one who has been waiting for so long that the wait in itself becomes a horrid, farcical joke. "I have been chased from one realm to the other in order to escape capture and death, and I utterly refuse to be hunted like some wild animal any longer. Physical enhancements aside, I am human. I have the same shape as you humans do. I have the same emotions, the same capacity for love. Love for the parent who birthed me…even if that parent destroyed the foundations for that love, and left me to die. Love for the one being upon this earth who has thrown all prejudice and occupation aside to be by my side and return that emotion which you humans take for granted. [At this, Envy placed a hand on Edward's shoulder and exchanged a smile.] Yes, I am capable of destruction—but what intelligent creature on this earth is not? Every human, every one of you in this room is capable of tearing each other apart right this moment; what differentiates you from animals is that you have no genuine need for such violent action. But that does not strip away the fact that, given the circumstance and the mind, you can very well kill without any such necessity. I am no different from you humans in that regard. I was created as you humans were in that I was given the power of reason and free will."

The homunculus paused momentarily for effect.

"Does that make me any more dangerous than you? I do not think so. Does it mean I am a lesser creature for admitting my own primal faults? I disagree. Why then, am I on trial, fighting for the right to live, when, all things considered, the entire human race should stand here in the docks along with me?"

It looked around at its listener's faces, looking directly into their eyes as if to find the answer hidden there. They squirmed, uncomfortable.

Smiling ever so slightly, the homunculus endeavoured to answer for them.

"I think, it is simply because you are afraid. You fear what you cannot understand, regardless that the fear you cling to is grounded on baseless superstition and a misguided sense of superiority. You fear the thinking being that can oppose your supremacy on this earth. I, who exists alone as the sole member of the species called Homunculi! Rest assured, this body cannot produce offspring, so your species is safe [Envy said these words with bitterness, particularly in the word 'safe']. And despite the fact that I have proven myself an equal in intelligence, rationality and purpose, you insist on sitting above me and accusing my simple desire to live as an outrage. How dare I! How dare I wish to live equally and peacefully among humans, an abomination of Man! How can it be that I crave the chance to live with you, eat with you, sleep with you, feel with you, and walk with you, for as long as this weary life of mine will last?"

Envy's voice had taken on a rhetorical, indignant tone. Suddenly its manner altogether changed and it lowered its voice to a slow, sharp voice of a righteous accuser, its eyes dull with bitterness.

"And I say; how dare _you?_How dare any one of you deny me my birthright? What God-given right do any of you possess to deny me life's joys, sorrows and heartaches? I would be very much amused to hear your answer."

The audience were staring rapturously at the creature as it spoke, spellbound and unable to speak.

Then homunculus let out a long breath, and looked around with the air of a weary traveller.

"May I share something with you? Every wretched night I have thought of many things. I have thought of my reason for existing, my coward of a creator, and the lost eons I have screamed away in the darkness of my underground prison."

It placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I have found reason to live with this boy—with Edward. He is the hope I hold that strengthens my desire to live amongst you as a friend."

"Wait," the judge interrupted. "The boy would not speak of you before, and indeed seemed a very unwilling companion. How can we believe your assertions when it is clear the relationship between you and Master Edward is an unsavoury one?"

"I made a mistake!" Edward all of a sudden insisted loudly, turning all eyes upon him. "I was silent because I couldn't understand Envy! I couldn't accept the fact that he was capable of killing another! I abandoned him when he needed me—that's what I realised when we were locked up, when Envy went mad—!"

Envy stiffened.

"'Went mad', you say?" the judge repeated, raising a grey eyebrow.

"Our guards forced Envy inside a room with no light and he went mad…briefly," Edward explained.

Envy grimaced, embarrassed that one of its many fears was being proclaimed to an audience, but stayed silent. It was for the best.

"Because?" the judge encouraged.

"Envy fears the dark more than anything else."

The judge looked down at the homunculus in question for some moments, before nodding, slowly. After having heard of the creature's past, he knew well that such a reaction was possible and even predictable.

Envy silently nodded, while inwardly musing that what Edward had said was not strictly true. There was one thing it feared above anything else, but once again remained silent on the matter.

"Envy forgot himself and attacked me," Edward went on earnestly. "He was so terrified and helpless I realised just how horrid I had been, not considering his own feelings and how my detachment hurt him. All he has in this world is me, and I abandoned him to face everything alone."

Envy's left eye twitched at the words 'terrified' and 'helpless', but bit its tongue. What Edward was saying was true—but why was it bothering it so much?

"That's why I am defending him now," Edward finalised, his large amber eyes firmly fixed on the old judge. "I have wronged him, and, acknowledging that, it is my duty to prevent others from wronging him as well! Whether he was created from God or not does not matter, as fellow beings of the Man who created him, we have a duty to do what He did not; embrace the homunculus and allow him the simple right to live here among us. Surely, that is not so impossible a request?"

With this ultimatum, the boy fell silent. The homunculus standing at his side stared down at its friend, so overwhelmed with what it had just heard it could not speak.

A long pause settled in the courtroom, and the judge, frowning thoughtfully, turned his attention to the awestruck Envy.

"Homunculus Envy, is there anything more you wish to say?" he asked slowly, watching with careful eyes.

Envy returned the old man's gaze, its otherworldly amethyst orbs profound in the eternal eons they spoke of.

"I do not know what more I can say to you," it said quietly. "Except that I have no choice but to put all the faith I have gathered from Edward in you all. With all my strength, that is all I can do now."

Silence descended upon the courtroom again. The air was thick with pressure, and everything seemed to be frozen in time.

Suddenly, the old judge looked past Envy and Edward and focused his weary gaze on the doors from which they had entered. He stared at it for a long while, his posture sagging, as if burdened with some great disappointment.

"...I am sorry, Envy, Master Green. Now _they _are here, I cannot save you."

Before either of them could even open their mouths to question the judge or even register the meaning of his words, the doors burst open with such violence it seemed an explosion had erupted, spewing forth dozens of screeching hooded alchemists, rotted arms reaching out to drag Envy back down to the black hell from whence it had came as they flung themselves upon the pair.

Out of nowhere a solid wall of concrete smashed into their attackers and buried them into the one parallel to that from which it had come. Envy stared, its brain too shocked to yet process what its eyes had witnesses, its body acting as a shield for its young friend who clutched the left arm protectively barring him from the demons' reach.

Envy followed the path of the column of solid matter and viewed its conjurer with wide, unbelieving eyes.

Elias Amsel stood by its beginning point, left hand slammed against the wall from which it had sprung.

The two opposing species locked eyes for a brief but powerful moment.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? MOVE!" the alchemist proceeded to shout, shocking Envy into action. The homunculus pulled Edward to his feet and raced, with the boy in tow, into the mass of screaming people all scrambling to the one exit without any regard for each other, fighting to keep up with Elias, who had burst ahead of them and led the way out into the stunned night.

There was pandemonium as the terrified jury members and magistrates scrambled to get away, but with their only exit barred by hoards of demonic creatures, they had no choice but to dive beneath their seats, screaming and praying for God to save them.

_You are wasting your time, my friends, _Envy thought bitterly.

Staggering outside into the cool air, the trio were horrified to see more shadowy demons closing in upon them. Elias instantly dropped to the ground and brought forth nine piercing spikes of pure solid earth and stone that impaled their targets, with Envy snapping the neck of one who managed to get too close by extending a pulsing purple arm and strangling its enemy.

"Alchemist, I cannot protect Edward like this!" Envy shouted through the din of screams and shrieks. "Shield him!"

Elis gave the other a sidelong look.

"You would trust me to protect your only friend?" he asked.

"I have no choice!" the homunculus shouted back, smashing the skull of one attacker with its fist. "Just do it, quickly!"

Without another word, Elias Amsel slammed both hands down upon the cobbled ground and caused layers of the earth to spring upwards and surround the defenceless Edward, encasing him in a makeshift cocoon within seconds.

"Envy?!" the boy cried out, frightened.

"Do not worry, I am here!" Envy called back, staying near the shield so the boy could be reassured thus. "This is only for until all of these monsters are dead! Trust me, my friend, and wait for us!"

Unseen, Edward smiled and nodded.

"Yessir!

Smiling itself, Envy redoubled its efforts as more and more hideous creatures joined the fray, unrestrained by the added duty of protecting its weaker companion.

Elias was an invaluable ally, sweeping dozens of the things at a time as he overturned the very earth to bury them, impaling and crushing all in his sights. Envy did not have time to wonder why this human was suddenly aiding them.

A cry that separated from the others rang out suddenly, and Envy saw one such demon seizing a young woman by the hair and forcing her down. Envy reacted automatically; transforming its left arm into a glinting blade, taking advantage of the confusion to get behind the black-clad alchemist and dashing forward from behind to slice its head off.

Suddenly, the demon snapped its head almost 360 degrees around, empty sockets glowing crimson, teeth bared in that terrifyingly familiar grin that frozen Envy in its tracks.

"Foolish creature," it hissed. "Your core whispers to us. It tells us your every step, your every turn-you can _never escape our senses_!"

Laughing hysterically, the demon alchemist plunged a rotted hand into the homunculus' throat. Envy could not even gasp as its air ducts were brutally severed, robbing it of breath and leaving it paralysed with shock as it hung limply from the other's grip. Sparks spluttered as the ducts and veins and spinal cord fought to recover themselves, but the jamming presence of the demon's hand made every desperate attempt useless, so Envy's lifeless body spasmed at it was once again at the mercy of its tormentors.

"_Envy!_"

The homunculus barely heard Elias's shout as the alchemist attacked the demon himself, encasing it in the earth and crushing its very core-the Stone itself-to dust.

The clawed hand penetrating Envy's throat was all that remained of the demon, and, with the death of the rest of it, crumbled to dust and was swept away. Envy was thus given freedom to regenerate without obstruction, and so within minutes the creature was gasping and coughing on its knees, and staggering to its feet.

The filthy sensation of sharp, decaying fingers slicing through its flesh and perforating it remained horribly present to its senses.

Revolted, Envy doubled over and retched.

Weak, cold and trembling from the sickening nausea afflicting its brain, the homunculus forced itself to look around at the stricken main street, almost engulfed in darkness save for the glinting light of the thousands of stars overhead and the full moon. The street was devoid of any human creature but abundant in the piles of ash that were the demon alchemists, in the process being swept away on the cool night winds; the survivors, it appeared, had retreated...for now.

Looking back to where Edward was encased, Envy shakily called out its friend's name.

"Envy, I'm fine!" came the reassuring but muffled reply that immediately lifted a great weight from within the homunculus, who was loath to trust Elias's protective act completely. "But are you alright? I heard you cry out."

"I was hurt before, but I am fine now," _thanks to Elias_. Envy bit its tongue to prevent from uttering this silent admittance and shoved it violently out of his conscious thought with revulsion. "However, please bear your condition a little longer-there may be more on their way."

"Alright...But, Envy..." Edward faltered.

"Yes, my friend?"

"...It's scary inside here. I'm scared..."

Envy's insides twisted with grief, remorse stinging like thorns in its chest.

"...I understand, truly I do," it murmured. "I...I understand..."

Finally, Envy turned its eyes to Elias, who, seeing it sway for a moment, made to support the unsteady homunculus. Before he could do this, Envy smacked the alchemist's hands away as if it were poisonous.

"Don't touch me!" it spat, a tremor in its voice. "You're all the same, so don't touch me!"

Elias's mismatched eyes looked at the vulnerable creature with pity.

"Homunculus-"

"That is NOT my name!"

"Envy, I want to help you," the alchemist stated seriously.

The homunculus glared, clutching itself defensively.

"Oh? That is not the impression I gathered of you before now," it said suspiciously. "Why the sudden change of heart, alchemist? Do you want me for yourself, is that it? Do you want to use me, to penetrate me too?!"

Envy's voice reached a hysterical pitch as it practically screamed its final question out, its eyes wild.

Elias gazed back at the creature calmly, as he always had. But his eyes were mournful. He knew that the homunculus had more than enough reason to distrust him, but all the same he wanted to try and assure it that the contrary was possible.

"Envy," he began, "I have lived my life by the iron rule of my superiors. Everything I have ever done, good or ill, has always been against my will, weak as it was to oppose what it believed to be the divine order of things. Every second, every minute, every hour of every day of my life has wasted away in the colossal passage of never-changing monotony. The moment I laid eyes on you, a homunculus, a creature that defied normality, that defied the divine order which I so unquestionably served, created by the hands of Man and that which was our joint duty to seek out without success until now...I found the opportunity to change my existence into something I can be proud of."

Envy stared at the other, not sure what to think. Every cynical bone in its bony screamed at it to reject what it was hearing, but the sincerity in the man's voice and look in his eyes spoke to the homunculus, and compelled it to listen. The man's words explained his unique interest and admiration of Envy that it had picked up on before.

"Selfish motivations, yes," Elias continued, "but I also understand that what is happening to you, an intelligent and feeling creature, is wrong. We placed you on trial to defend your life, and to add insult to injury we dashed all your hopes by allowing _them_to claim you..."

Envy perked up.

"'Them'? 'Allow'? You are acquainted with those monsters?!" it questioned, eyes narrowing.

Elias shook his head.

"Not personally by any accounts myself," he assured. "However, our leaders are in their employ, involuntarily I might add. Have been for some thirty years after they suddenly and inexplicably appeared here and forced our government into submission, who have henceforth succumbed to their every wish, including the creation of a secret police whose sole purpose is the finding and capture of a homunculus with long black hair and an Oroborus marking-myself being the leader of that force. _They_are the reason no one goes out at night, for they themselves have patrolled the streets in tireless search for you, having never truly trusted us to complete the task ourselves."

Envy listened, horror dowsing its body in cold sweat.

"No..." it whispered. "Then...that time when Edward and I escaped from their prison..._they_ withdrew to manipulate the Gate and sent us here _on purpose...?_ It has to be, that is the only explanation..." Its frame shook. "Then they transported themselves to this era before us... to entrap us here. So then..._that_ is how you all seemed to know we were coming...because _they_informed you..."

Envy put a quivering hand it its mouth for a moment, closing its eyes as terror threatened to overcome it. So all along _they_had been in control, manipulating the passage of time so that Envy and Edward fell right into their clutches...

Even now, it was not free of their control, and this enraged it.

"But then...why did they force me to endure a trial, judge, jury, and all?" Envy demanded, flaring up.

"To give you a false sense of security," came Elias's grave reply. "By making you believe that you had a fighting chance, you would inevitably let your guard down in order to achieve success, thereby making you vulnerable to _their_attack."

Envy nodded in grim understanding. It was all so obvious that it wanted to scream in frustration. Practically all the demon alchemist's energy went into psychological rather than physical suppression, so this explanation did not surprise Envy in the least. However, it was enraged that it had not realised this until now.

Seeing the homunculus's distress, Elias said: "I am more than willing to help you fight them. I am not asking you to forgive me, nor am I asking you to place your trust in me-just allow me to lend you my powers and my knowledge against these abominations, and I will be fully satisfied."

Envy frowned, pondering. On the one hand it wanted nothing more than to beat this man within an inch of his miserable life, given how he had been party to it and Edward's entire ordeal thus far, and also out of pure frustration at its inability to escape its tormentors. However, it could not deny that the alchemist's impressive powers and knowledge of its enemies would be invaluable to their fight against them...

Without a word, Envy punched the unsuspecting alchemist full in the face, sending him toppling to the hard cobblestones beneath him.

Elias stared up at the creature, clutching his bleeding, broken nose, stunned.

"THAT is for being a weak-willed idiot!" Envy barked.

Elias did not speak.

Sighing, Envy stretched out a hand to him.

"And this is for saving my life, and protecting Edward."

Elias couldn't help but smile as he took the other's pale hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet.

"But I warn you," Envy told him fiercely. "If you so much as _hint_at betraying us I will slit your throat and throw your rotting carcass to the dogs!"

The blaze in the homunculus's eyes told Elias it meant to do exactly as it said. He nodded.

"Of course."

"Envy and Mr. Amsel are friends! Hurrah!" Edward cheered from inside his protective earth cocoon.

Envy flushed with indignation.

"We are nothing of the sort!" it spat angrily. "We are merely cooperating to achieve our own ends!"

"Of course," came the sarcastic response.

Envy was about to yell a rebuke when a sudden wave of dread and bloodlust coursed through its body, and it swerved around, eyes darting in all directions.

"They're here," he muttered. At this, Elias prepared himself and assumed an aggressive fighting stance as he too turned and searched for where they might be hiding.

Human and homunculus, back-to-back, waited for the moment to strike.

With unearthly shrieks that seemed to split the sky, the demonic alchemists tore from the darkness like shadows from Hell, sweeping across the cobblestones towards them.

Envy attacked first, lunging headlong into the enemy lines and tearing bodies to pieces with its self-sharpened arms and legs, twisting its body to manoeuvre itself around oncoming blows and land its own, seeming almost to dance as it gracefully ravaged the demonic horde. To reach far-away foes, it extended its arms and snatched them from the air, snapping them in two before hurling them into its living comrades, knocking them aside and leaving them vulnerable to Envy's rage as the homunculus pounced and drove its arm through their rotting bodies, or else smashed their skulls against the earth. Its strength seemed mostly driven by the explosive and coursing fury that had otherwise remained dormant, now pulsing through its veins like a possessing demon, transforming Envy into a whirling demon itself, ripping apart anything in sight.

Elias provided defence for attacks Envy could not intercept or avoid, forcing the earth's plates to rise and split the ground as towering pillars smashed out and into the screaming demons in the homunculus's blind spot, as well as holding his own against those who dared attack him directly, impaling them with spikes of solid rock and even the brick material of the houses aligning the streets when finding himself cornered. Occasionally Elias would glance at Edward's defensive encasement to make sure it was untouched, and kill any alchemist who so much as dared attack it. He could only imagine the fear coursing through the poor boy's mind, with all the noise seeming to shake the very air around them all.

After several blood-boiling, sweat-soaked minutes, the small number of demon alchemists left did what both Envy and Elias had dreaded.

They began to use alchemy themselves.

For the first time in what was surely centuries, the demonic creatures so far removed from their human forms that such power was now the only thing that had remained with them, called upon it now, and the destruction that it reared. In an instant, columns of earth burst upwards to entomb the three of them. Envy was horrified as it realised that Edward had no way to escape, and was wrenched between shielding him with its body, or...

"ELIAS!" it screamed, as the columns crashed down upon their heads. Instantly, the alchemist destroyed the protective cocoon, and Envy lunged to one side and pushed them both out of harm's way as it rolled and skidded out from under the tumbling pillars.

The demons launched another barrage of attacks before any of them had time to even draw breath. Barbs, projectiles and pillars of transmuted stone and earth pierced the air as they smashed upon their targets second after second, both Elias and Envy furiously twisting and leaping like crazed acrobats to avoid being crushed or impaled in the wake of the relentless bombardment. Both fought between themselves to protect Edward, naturally unable to move as fast as his trained companions, with success that was becoming harder and harder to reach as the attacks kept coming and the reflexes of the pair became exhausted as time flew by.

Suddenly Edward cried out as a flying shard of rock slashed his cheek, and Envy and its alchemist ally knew they could no longer protect the boy while they fought to defend themselves. They had to take a gamble, it was the only way any of them could survive this now.

Elias Amsel and Envy the homunculus briefly locked eyes, understood, and nodded.

"A minute, do you think?" Envy asked shortly, veering to the right to avoid a spear of transmuted cobblestone, which missed him by inches.

Elias managed a smirk.

"Do not underestimate me. A minute you shall have."

Envy chuckled.

"Very well, then."

Edward glanced fearfully between the two.

"Don't do anything foolish!" he cried out from behind Elias's protective body.

Envy did not look back.

"Forgive me, my friend," it said, "but it must be done."

With that, Envy charged directly into the demons' midst. Instantly, they all pounced to seize the creature in their greedy claws.

But it was not to be. While they were distracted, Elias unleashed a volley of concrete spikes bursting out of the earth, impaling their targets like burnt pieces of meat as they writhed and shrieked out their last breaths.

In the centre of pierced enemies and wicked barbs, Envy stood, triumphant. Looking back to share its overwhelming rush of victory with its comrades, the homunculus' expression all at once turned to cold horror.

"ELIAS, BEHIND YOU!" it screamed, too far away to intervene in time. The alchemist's relieved look changed to reflect Envy's distress, and turned to fight.

All too late.

Intercepted, taken completely unawares, the enemy struck first and fastest. Elias, without time to even turn around, jarred, expression frozen in agony. Blood spurted from his mouth, as the attacker drove a long, curved blade deep into his belly. Red spread out in a maddening crimson patch, and Elias was kicked away from the blade's hold, falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

The Ringmaster grinned with all his foul black teeth, black eyes dancing with excitement. Like a shadow, he had crept up from behind, his human aura hidden by the overwhelming mass of demonic ones.

It all seemed to happen as in a nightmare. Slowly, uncontrollably. As the alchemist hit the ground, Envy awakened. With an ear-splitting howl, it charged forwards, arms bugling into vast, monstrous green ones with claws diving for the man's throat.

The Ringmaster tutted, and seized a paralysed Edward by the scruff of the neck and yanked him upwards as a human shield. Envy stopped short before Elias's jittering body, fuming in its dilemma and dually terrified as the threat of losing the only friend and ally it had in this world loomed like the night sky above the helpless earth.

"Hello again, my little wayward creature!" the fat, dark-cloaked man greeted scornfully, sending Envy's blood boiling.

"I am not yours! I am my own self!" he spat, seething with rage.

The Ringmaster sneered, as if the very notion was laughable.

"You have never been, and will never in the course of your long life, belong to anyone but us. Your very name, 'homunculus' means 'little human'. You are Man's creation, his base mirror-image, formed purely for his desires. Your purpose is to serve us, and nothing more. Even if you did succeed in killing us all, that fact would not change. The circumstances in which you were so heinously created will not fade from the passage of time."

The detestable human's cold black eyes burned into Envy's brain as he hissed:

"You are Man's creature, homunculus!"

"Lies," a hoarse voice croaked.

All eyes turned to Elias lying on the cobblestones, bleeding profusely from the wound his trembling left hand clutched, straining to look at the Ringmaster, teeth clenched against the agony coursing through him.

"The homunculus is…Envy is…not…your…"

The alchemist coughed more blood, and could not continue. Envy's stomach lurched, and its chest hurt to look at him.

"B-be quiet, you fool!" he ordered, voice shaking. "Conserve your strength!"

Elias managed a weak smile.

"Still alive?" the Ringmaster said quietly. "I suppose I'll have to fix that, won't I?"

Envy leapt in front of Elias's body, eyes blazing with a righteous fury.

"You will not harm this man anymore!" it screamed. "I will kill you. _I will KILL you, you foul, evil devil-spawn!_"

Edward, seizing the moment of distraction, jerked backwards and kicked his captor full in the face. The Ringmaster roared in anger, staggering backwards as he fought against the pain blinding him. Edward dove forwards and grabbed the man's weapon in his fists, yanked it away from the loosened fingers and drove it upwards into the fat chest.

Envy saw its chance, and moved in before the man could retaliate, closing the distance between them and smashing a closed fist into its tormentor's soft doughy face, driving a bony knee into the open wound before the Ringmaster's bulk crashed to the ground. Breathing furiously, Envy took the knife from Edward's cold fist and held it with both hands high above its head, violet eyes luminous with centuries of rage, hatred and despair now all boiling together to fuel the blaze roaring inside it. Standing tall and defiant beneath the stormy black heavens and the cold earth on which its former master lay dying, Envy ruled supreme.

Teeth clenched against the howl burning in its throat, he spat out the cursed words like putrid hellfire:

"I hope you like the dark."

With that one damning sentence, Envy plunged downwards, embedding the blade deep into the Ringmaster's brain.

The body ceased to move, and it was done.

But there was no time to rejoice; instantly the two attended to Elias, miraculously still conscious but barely.

Kneeling on the ice-cold cobblestones by his body, Envy despaired as it saw the blood spreading in a sickening dark pool under it.

Edward looked at his friend pleadingly, eyes wide with the terror of death.

"Envy, can't you help him?" he begged.

The homunculus grimaced.

"I…"

"It is…alright," Elias rasped, looking through blurred vision at the distraught young boy. "I am…content."

"'Content'?" Envy repeated hysterically. "How can you be content with dying this way, murdered by this world's scum before you could do anything?"

The alchemist chuckled weakly.

"Well, I…finally…did something…I can be…proud of," he wheezed, breath becoming laboured.

Edward was in tears, trying to stop the bleeding wound with his hands, but in vain. He didn't want Elias to go.

"I…I…"

Edward choked and began to sob.

Elias wanted to speak comfort to the boy, but the blood clogged his throat and he couldn't speak. His mind and thoughts began to fade altogether, and he looked for as long as he could look up into the tortured face of the homunculus Envy.

The alchemist touched the creature's clenched, trembling fists, and smiled.

Something suddenly surged within Envy, an almighty desire that encompassed its entire mind and body. It brought its hands to the centre of its chest and pushed inwards, digging right in through flesh and bone.

Both Edward and Elias stared in utter bewilderment as the homunculus began to peel its own chest apart.

"E-Envy, what are you _doing?!_" he boy cried, horrified by what he was seeing.

"…to die," came the almost inaudible murmur from the homunculus's mouth. All at once the pulsing blood-red opal that was the Philosopher's Stone was revealed amidst the mass of tiny glowing veins pumping energy through its body, glowing a powerful crimson.

"Wh-what?"

"You have better things to do than die!" Envy cried passionately, as left hand had seized the life-giving element in between two fingers and pinched, breaking off a soft chunk with a hiss of pain and pushing it into Elias's open wound, where it seemed to come alive and burrow inside his flesh.

Now, his life rested solely on the alchemist's will.

All Envy could do was trust and wait…

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To be Continued!

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><p><strong>Ahh, I'm so sorry you guys! I hope this chapter somewhat made up for my long, long haitus-holiday and preparing for my studies at uni have taken up much of my time...Thank you all so, so much for your wonderful reviews thus far, and I am touched at the eagerness with which you awaited this chapter. However, I regret to say: Don't expect the next chapter any time soon, as I'm starting university in a week's time :(<strong>


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